Betrayal
by TrinitysEnd
Summary: The Du Couteau family is forced out of their estate in Noxus when Swain forcefully takes over. Swain plans to take over all of Valoran. Will Katarina get the revenge she wants, or is there more going on? (Kat x Lux don't like the pairing? don't read) Multiple pairings some gxg some gxb. There is CHARACTER DEATH you are warned. This is the rework.
1. Chapter 1

**So I decided to just move the rework to an entirely new story and not post it on the old one! I apologize if some people get confused. Also, chapter 2 rework will be posted soon, but I am waiting on Shaw to send me a message!**

The sound of heavy steps was masked by the squish of the mud below the feet of Katarina, Cassiopeia, and Talon, as they ran from the barking and howling dogs gaining on them. Protrusions of dead trees snagged at clothing and the thick mud clung to every surface on their body, slowing them down. Their pursuers, dressed in the red and black garb of the Noxian military, were more prepared for the marshes. A large ax spun through the group, forcing the red head to slide to avoid being clipped. Kat didn't even notice when she lost sight of the other two, but she was aware that she was still being followed. She glanced down at her belt. Five, five daggers was all she had left, and she wouldn't be as agile – thanks to the mud – in melee combat. She'd have to save them for a sure hit.

She began to throw her view back over her shoulder, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the soldiers after her, but the answer was not one she liked.

"Fuck..." she muttered to herself, as Draven's ax glinted in the dim fog light. The man was an idiot with an overinflated ego that the whole of Valoran couldn't satisfy, but it didn't take brains to wield an ax with some precision. In fact, precision was what he was known for – that, and a really bad personality.

"Why him..." she spoke, as she made her way towards a small treed area.

It all began in the Du Couteau mansion. Unease had been growing since Swain gained power after defeating Keiran Darkwill, taking the position of Grand General, but this had little effect on the residents of the mansion. That is until the Crimson Elite stormed it during the night. It was Talon who had alerted the others and, while they had lost many guards, managed to escape through the sewers. Talon, having extensive knowledge of the underground, was able to lure the pursuers into traps and buy them more time to escape.

Once outside the city, they stuck to back roads and less traveled paths that eventually would take them to the Institute, but as they got closer they found checkpoints on the roads and patrols in the forests between them. They'd been spotted trying to sneak around one of these patrols and the chase began. The group was herded away from the Institute leaving them no other choice but to go through the Kaladoun Marsh, a dark foggy swamp inhabited by death itself, to their last hope, Demacia. Luckily, as they drew closer to the City of Justice the number of pursuers diminished until it was just a small group that remained.

Katarina slid to the side as an ax slammed into the tree beside her. "Come out and play!" Draven taunted. The excited barks from the dogs were right behind her, and – after a cursory glance – she parted with one of her five daggers. Two dogs fell, but that still left one more and Draven; spotting her distraction, the executioner took advantage of Kat's attack and launched a blade at her. It connected the edge of her arm after she tried to dive.

"Damn it...!" she cursed to herself, as she quickly got to her feet. The ground was getting harder, as she neared the edge of the swamp; however, through the gaps in the trees she could see the greener fir treetops of Demacia. With newfound hope she caught hold of a thick tree branch and spun up onto it. The dog, not prepared for her quick stop, skidded forward unable to slow itself in time. She sent a dagger towards the hound only to miss. Launching another dagger with a curse, she finished it off. Now only Draven remained. He didn't look the slightest bit worried about losing his dogs, and instead he looked amused.

The red head launched off the branch moments before his ax tore through it, forcing her to land in a hasty roll coating her with more mud. However, as she stood an ax tore up her back. She let out a scream of pain, as she stumbled forward with only the adrenaline coursing through her keeping her on her feet. Each step tore the wound just a little further but still she kept going. Finally, she broke through the last of the trees and all that remained was a sprint for the gates, but the executioner would have none of that. Kat wasn't quick enough to dodge the two spinning axes that clipped her side, sending her sprawling into the ground. There was the distinct clinking sound of metal that drew her attention, and she watched as her last two daggers bounced away from her. She scrambled after the blades, but she didn't get very far before an ax collided with her leg. She let out another scream as she collapsed onto the ground in agony.

Any attempt at a crawl was halted as Draven put his weight down on her back, procuring another scream. Just to add to his pleasure he wiggled his ax free from her leg, tearing the wound open further. "And the crowd goes wild!" he said as he took a fistful of red hair and pulled her up by it. "This is the part where you beg me, the Great Draven, for your life."

She twisted her body and spat into his face. "I'll never stoop so low!" Katarina growled.

Draven wiped the fluid free of his face, still wearing that stupid grin of his. "Redheads. They always like to play hard to get. I'll have you know I'm not limited to leaving you alive so long as you're still recognizable, so I'd watch your tongue…"

Kat heard him, but the words just didn't process. Instead she watched the clouds roll by like nothing mattered; she felt the cool wind dancing with the loose bits of hair; she smelled the bread baking inside the city walls; and she heard the cry of an eagle as it descended towards her.

_'Huh?' _She watched the bird, but she was having trouble focusing.

"You don't need this arm, do y-" a loud squawk interrupted Draven. Katarina tried to watch as the bird dug its talons into his face, but she soon lost the fight with her eyelids and the world went black.

While Kat lost consciousness a woman dashed towards the commotion. "Val!" The bird broke free, and his victim held his hand up to his eye as blood leaked out from under it. She looked startled, but composed herself. "What are you doing here, Draven?"

He laughed, spilling blood down his vest. "Why am _I_ here? Why are _you_ interrupting my show?!" He flung an ax at the woman, but his aiming was off due to being blind in one eye so she easily dodged the weapon. In response she launched a bolt into his free hand, but he showed no signs of pain and instead launched another ax. It ground against the dirt where Quinn once stood before returning to his hand. "Stop running, you coward!"

"I will not kill you Draven, the League prohibits it."

"Do you know who I am?" he snarled. "I'm Draven! I'm more important than the stupid League! Who cares what they think?!"

"Do not make me do this. I do have the right to use necessary force to protect myself."

"Nothing protects against Draven!" he cackled, launching a series of axes at Quinn.

"Val!" the bird swooped down slicing open his arm as she launched another bolt into his leg.

Her attacks were relentless, but he never backed down; even resorting to swinging the ax at the bird when it came near. He wasn't completely incapable of fighting and still managed to clip both Quinn and Valor a few times, but he was never able to connect to a vital area. They were at a standstill until Quinn spoke.

"We are done, Draven. Any more of this and you will die."

"No! I don't lose!"

"Give it up. Go back to Noxus." She made her way over to Katarina's figure, placing two fingers along her neck. "Good she's still alive. I'll take her to Demacia for medical treatment."

"Don't ignore me!" he screamed, flinging an ax. A loud clang rung from Quinn's helmet and sent her down to the ground. "I can't fail! I'm the great and mighty Draven! There isn't a thing I can't do!" Before Quinn could react a bloodied boot rested on her chest. "And now I will kill you!" He raised his ax, but before he could bring it down Valor latched on. Quinn saw her chance and fired a bolt straight into his throat.

Choking at once, he raised an arm in panic and finally managed to smack Valor away and began to swing the ax down once again, but he never finished as a second bolt entered through his good eye.

The ax impaled itself into the ground just beside her. She pushed Draven's corpse to the side as she clambered to her feet. She hobbled over to Katarina, who had fallen nearby, and checked her pulse a second time. It was weak, but still there. "Val, go get help," she called out. A squawk later and he was off to the skies. "Let's see what I can do..." Quinn began to root around in her pouches pulling out a few peculiarities, but also bandages and ointment. They wouldn't save her - she'd need serious medical attention - but it would at least slow the bleeding and help against any infection. After wrapping her more serious wounds, the side and back, she hoisted the woman onto her back, and began slowly walking towards Demacia.

o-O-^-O-o

"Just what is the meaning of this?!" a tall man dressed in thick blue and gold armor roared into Quinn's face. "Draven is dead and Katarina Du Couteau is within the last inches of her life! Just what in Demacia's name were you thinking?!"

"He would have killed me otherwise, sir," she answered, remaining calm. "Plus when I first saw him he was attacking what looked like a defenseless woman, sir."

"Defenseless woman?! That was Katarina Du Couteau! A trained assassin! You want me to believe that she was fleeing from that pipsqueak? She is much more grandeur than that." He glanced over the falconer and spotted a regally adorned man. "You are dismissed, but I will speak to you soon so don't go too far."

Quinn saluted the man and left the room without another word.

"What is the problem, Garen?" the man dressed in royal attire said as soon as he'd approached. "I was in the middle of... something important."

"I'm sorry for disturbing you my prince, but we have a problem," Garen answered.

"And just what would that problem be?" Prince Jarvan IV said, narrowing his eyes.

"During a routine patrol, Quinn discovered Draven engaged in a chase with Katarina Du Couteau."

"Katarina Du Couteau? Are you sure?"

"I am, sir, but at the time Quinn didn't know who she was as she'd been quite badly disfigured by running through the swamp. She wounded Draven in an attempt to stop him from killing her. This, however, only made him attack her. She claims that he was going to kill her, so she did what she had to survive."

"And just where is Draven? I would like to question him."

"That is the problem sir..." Garen confessed. "He's dead."

Jarvan blinked. "I see." he rested his hand on his chin before continuing, "What of Katarina?"

"She is in bad condition, but luckily we were able to catch Soraka before she left..." the Might of Demacia trailed off.

"That is good. We'll have a lot of questions for her as well. But why was Draven attacking her? That doesn't make any sense at all. Are you sure all this is true?"

"It is what I was told, but I don't have all the details. What should we do?"

"We need to inform the Institute of this," Jarvan said, grimacing. "They won't be pleased to hear this. Where is Katarina at the moment?"

"She's unconscious in the basement of the barracks. I plan to interrogate her myself when she awakens," he answered.

"Do that. I'll see if any of our spies have reported in and ask if they know of anything that could explain this."

"Sir, could it have anything to do with Swain's rise to power?" Garen asked.

"I won't say that for sure, but with the disappearance of our spy network we can't rule anything out. No matter the absurdity, this is Jericho Swain after all. He does the impossible as often as we use the restroom. Good luck with your end."

Garen saluted as the prince left the room. With a sigh he dropped into his chair to prepare a report when a light cough startled him.

"Brother?" Luxanna spoke.

"Lux," he grumbled. "What did I tell you about using your cloak?"

"Not to eavesdrop on your conversations... but I promise that's not what I was doing! I was just trying to... get... uh..."

Garen raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, maybe I was, but I haven't gotten my newest order of books and I've read all the others so I'm bored," she confessed.

The leader of the Dauntless Vanguard shook his head. "Sister, some of the things I talk about in here are confidential-"

"Like that time you pretended you were talking to Katarina?" she interrupted.

"_Especially_ those times!"

"Times? So you've done it more than once?"

He took a deep breath and massaged his temples. "I love you dearly Lux, but you need to leave."

"Why?"

After another deep breath, he spoke, "I have work I need to finish, and I can't do it while you are here."

"Alright... I guess I'll just have to go dig around the library some more."

_'__Actually, why don't I go take a look at Katarina' _she thought, skipping out of the doorway, humming the Demacian anthem as she went.

"She is going to be the death of me..." Garen mumbled to himself. He bent over and dipped the quill into the ink and began writing. "I need one of those 'pen' things Heimer keeps ranting about..."

Luxanna, however, was making her way to barracks, something her brother would almost certainly have objected to if he'd known about it. Not that she cared too much anyways. Right before entering she spun her baton wrapping herself in a cloak of light. _'__Now brother said she was in the basement...' _she spun about looking for the stairs. _'There!' _she scurried past the few guards and slipped down the stairs through the door at the bottom. After the door, there were no guards. It was a damp and dark stone hallway littered with large iron doors. Lux made her way to each door and peaked inside but it wasn't till the forth one down on the left that she actually saw something besides empty beds and stone.

That last one, however, contained a large blue woman draped in robes, who she instantly recognized as Soraka, standing over the red head. Curiosity kicked in and she dared to get closer so she snuck in through the door, careful to not make a sound, and began inching towards the two.

"Luxanna Crownguard," Soraka spoke, turning around and staring at the startled mage straight through her cloak. "What are you doing here? I'm sure you know that you are not allowed in here."

"How did you know I was here?"

"The stars told me, child. Now this one needs some time alone, so if you'd please leave."

"But-" Lux began to protest.

"I am sure that only patience will sate your curiosity, but as of now she needs uninterrupted healing. And you are an interruption."

Luxanna didn't answer, but Soraka could feel her presence fading. "Now I can continue."

Soraka raised her star and crescent wand above her head and began to mouth a chant. Slowly the wounds were stitching themselves back together, but it was slow and would take days. Quinn's injuries were minor, and could be treated by a court mage. She'd probably be doing patrols tomorrow if the prince would allow it; however, she was being held until things got sorted out. She'd have a lot of questions to answer, just like Miss Du Couteau.

o-O-^-O-o

"Excuse me ma'am!" a man draped in dark blue robes called out as he approached Vessaria Kolminye, the High Councilor.

"What is it Summoner Ma'riah?" Kolminye grunted. She had about fifty more pages of reports about champion behavior left before she could turn in for the day.

"We have a message from Demacia. It's urgent."

She let out a deep sigh. "Very well. Bring in the crystal."

She watched as Ma'riah took out a small nexus fragment. "Here. This should be linked directly to Demacia."

"Thank you Ma'riah. Now if you'll excuse me?"

"Yes ma'am," he said as he left the office. Being the High Councilor had its perks and one was a grand working area. The walls were about twenty feet high and littered with bookshelves, drawers, and filling cabinets all perfectly sorted – something that her predecessor had never managed to grasp – and there in the middle of the room was her large wooden desk, completely covered with neat stacks of paper. Clearing a small spot on her desk, she set the crystal down and spoke a word in an ancient tongue.

The crystal began to hum, followed by a quiet, "Hello?"

"Prince Jarvan IV," she greeted. "You wished to speak to me?"

"Yes. We have had a bit of a situation here..." he trailed off.

"And that would be? I really don't have time for petty disputes between Noxus and yourself."

"One of scouts... encountered Draven earlier. He was within a visible distance of the city."

"And?" Kolminye tried to speed the process along.

"And during the encounter he attacked. In defense, our scout returned the attacks, but he refused to back down. She was forced to take his life, in order to protect hers."

Vessaria went silent, as she took in what was said. "So Draven is dead?" she repeated.

"Unfortunately, yes, but he forced our hand," Jarvan answered.

"Myself and a small envoy will be there within the next five hours. Please whatever you do, don't do anything else."

"One last thing ma'am?"

"What?" she was already tossing a few things around in preparation.

"We found him trying to kill Katarina Du Couteau."

**Well there you go the first chapter! I hope everyone likes it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here is chapter 2! YAY! I hope you enjoy!**

"And what of our spies?" king Jarvan III asked.

"We've received no news from or about them," his son answered, which brought a hand to his father's face in frustration.

The two men were currently in the throne room. The word modest could not be used to describe the scene that sat around them. Gold chandeliers dotted the ceiling with hanging silver chains dangling crystals at their tips, the throne was plated in gold and the cushion made of the finest silk Demacia could offer, and behind the throne sat dozens of portraits of the former kings, their eyes staring down at the room's occupants.

"I entrust you with one task," the king growled, "and you cannot even manage that. I refuse to go down in history as the king with the most useless oaf of a son, do you understand me?"

"I'm sorry, father... I promise to get that information."

"You had better…" The king waved him away in disgust. "… or mark my words that there will be consequences. You are dismissed."

Jarvan retreated from his bow and strode out of the room, yanking the large golden doors with more force that he probably needed to. The door, however, paused for just a moment as it closed as a certain blonde mage followed the prince out. She was careful not to get too close as she tailed the prince through the castle up until he ended his march at Garen's room. Keeping her distance, she listened in from outside her brother's quarters.

"Is she awake?" she heard Jarvan ask.

"Not yet," was her brother's reply, "but her wounds are mostly healed. Soraka says she can't do anything more for her."

"And the Institute?"

"They're keeping an eye on her, but they are more concerned about Draven and Quinn."

"That makes sense... have they found anything?"

"Nothing yet."

"It seems they are in the same boat as us..." Jarvan mused. "Shall we check on Miss Du Couteau? It has been over a week."

"Not necessary, sir. The League has put a spell on her that will alert us when she wakes."

_'I didn't really get a good look at her before... I guess I should take a peek,'_ Lux thought to herself.

The barracks had gotten rowdier. It was difficult to keep the fact that Katarina Du Couteau was there, after all, but Lux just glided through the masses congregated around the door to the basement. They were stopped, however, by two summoners and the loyal palace guards, but they stood no chance against the mage's invisibility and she crept behind them.

The basement wasn't completely empty like before, but this time held three summoners going through piles of documents. One document, that Lux happened to lean in too close to, was titled "Jericho Swain" and listed information about him. Just simple things such as the crow's name – Beatrice, his military history, and speculation on his life prior to his army days. None of which were anything new to her. She skipped away towards Katarina's room, and slipped inside.

Instead of being on her stomach like before, she was on her side facing the door. Though her eyes were shut, she stirred at the click of the door closing. The blonde froze, but once the red head settled she walked over to the bed. Garen was right, all of her wounds had fully closed save a large scar along her back that even her new shirt couldn't hide. Seeing as her old armor was ruined, she was now dressed in a fairly modest coarse-weave shirt for a top, but her black pants had been patched and she'd been allowed to keep those on instead.

As Luxanna leaned in to inspect the woman's scars in curiosity, Katarina sat up, panic swimming in her eyes. Lux was just far enough away to be able to duck back without being smacked. She slid into the corner and watched the red head. The assassin was scanning the room, and Lux tried to calm her breathing. After making sure the room was safe, Katarina slipped out of the bed and crept to the door.

She stood there, peering out the small window, for a moment before she opened the door a crack. However, when she tried to slip out the opening she collided with an invisible wall. She tried again, but it with the same results. Her eyes glared at the glowing runes that sat on the door frame. They were the same the ones league used to keep Fiddlesticks in his room – prison runes.

She also knew there was only one way to get past them: find another way – of which there was none. With a sigh of defeat, she closed the door, and instead peered out the small slit above her bed. In the distance she could see the towering spires of the Demacian crown palace. It was a sight she never thought would bring her peace, but it meant she wasn't about to be killed by Swain.

While Katarina was distracted, Luxanna took the chance to try to sneak out, but hopes of escape were dashed as a large blue and gold figure occupied the doorway.

"Katarina."

"Garen," she replied without needing to look away from the window.

"How are you?" An obvious attempt at small talk.

"I almost died." It didn't work.

"May I come in?"

"Do I have a choice?"

He stepped into the room. "I stand for Demacia in wondering what brings you all-"

"Garen," came a woman's voice from the doorway.

He shuddered. "Ah, yes, High Councilor Kolminye?"

"You wouldn't be trying to break our agreement, now would you?"

"Oh, no, I never would!" he replied. "I swear on my honor."

She glared at him before turning her gaze to the red head. "Miss Du Couteau, I hope you are doing well."

"I could be better," Katarina answered.

"That is true. Still, I do need to have you answer a few questions for us," Kolminye said, indicating herself and Garen.

"What, you don't feel like probing my mind?" she joked.

"We particularly want to know why Draven was attacking you," the High Councilor went on, ignoring her remark.

"Also why you were so close to Demacia," Garen added.

Katarina made a face and was silent for a few seconds. "Fine... Swain wanted me dead, and I didn't exactly want to come here either."

"But why does he want you dead?" Garen insisted.

She threw her arms up. "Like hell I know? Maybe it has to do with my father?"

"Speaking of the Grand General…" Vessaria said, "he has also asked us to return you back to Noxus."

"I'd rather stay as a Demacian prisoner," she snapped.

"Rules are rules," the councillor said gravely. "After this is over we will return you to Noxus and there will be no arguing this."

"Hold up!" Garen interrupted, looking angered. "Now _you_ are the one breaking our agreement. We agreed that she would not be moved without express permission from Prince Jarvan IV himself."

"I did wish to uphold that, but the Grand General contested it with a section in the _Institute Code and Conduct_. It clearly states in section three hundred and forty two paragraph six that any person or persons taken prisoner by a foreign city-state must be returned to their hailing city-state... right _here_." She waved her hand and a scroll hung down. At the top sat the section number and below were paragraphs of information about champions and city-state relations.

"Let me see that!" Garen demanded, snatching the scroll from her grip and glaring the text.

Lux crept up behind her brother, and gave it a practised skim through. Her brother was having a little more trouble, but a small glint of light drew him to the third to last paragraph.

"_A champion(s) charged with crimes in its city-state may absolve its current standing with said city-state,"__ Garen read aloud.__ "To do so requires propositioning an A614 appeal. The city-state must prove, without doubt, that the accused is/are guilty of the charges issued by said city-state. If proof is given, the plea will be denied and the champion(s) will be returned to them. However, if the plea is accepted, they will be given freedom and protection until they find a new city-state to accept them. If they do not do so within two years they are to be removed from the Institute of War, and any privileges they held will also be revoked. Furthermore, if one party does not attend, the trial will be settled in the favor of the present party. Exceptions are listed in section MDCIII. The trial will be overseen by the Council of War."_ Garen handed the scroll back to Vessaria, pointing to the paragraph in question. "I can assure you that Demacia will be filing an appeal under this procedure as soon as I inform the king and prince of this."

Vessaria looked ruffled. Lux assumed she was annoyed at being undermined like that. "This would be the first A614 in League records... very well, then, Crownguard. I will begin the necessary steps, but do be aware that this isn't a simple process." She turned to leave and paused. "And would you kindly get the information that I requested from Miss Du Couteau? Since you are _so_ determined to see her live."

"I will try," Garen said.

Kolminye took her leave.

"Well thanks, I guess?" Katarina said.

"Anything for a pretty lady!" he boasted.

"Anything?"

"Anything!"

"How about a more comfortable shirt?" Katarina tugged on the fabric to show her dislike of it.

"Right away!" he answered, dashing from the room.

"Men are such idiots..." she said shaking her head.

Lux was unable to maintain her cover as she finally burst out into laughter, but when she caught sight of Katarina glaring at her she stopped. "Hehe... he... hi?"

"I knew there was someone else here. Spying on me were you?"

"Well not really spying... I was just..." Lux tried to explain, but when she couldn't come up with an answer she spun her baton and vanished again. Out of habit she closed the door as she left.

_'What a weird girl... What is it? Luxanna Crownguard? I don't remember her having a way of going invisible though...'_

o-O-^-O-o

"Swain, sir, we have received word from the Institute!" a messenger said as he bolted into the room, Darius' ax hanging inches from his throat.

"It's Grand General to you, peasant," the Hand of Noxus said, pulling his ax away.

"Here! Sir!" The messenger decided to pass the letter to Darius instead and as soon as it left his hands he took his leave.

Darius took it the rest of the way, and stood patiently as Swain read through the page.

"She is getting audacious," he rasped, once he finished reading.

"I could fix that, sir," Darius said.

"Your brother already did enough damage," Swain snapped. He tossed the paper to the side of his desk and resumed his writing. "I have matters I need to prepare for. For the time being, you are in charge of preparing the troops while I deal with Katarina. Do not fail me like your brother."

"Yes, sir."

"The plan is already done, you just need to commence the attack."

"Right away."

o-O-^-O-o

"I heard from the High Councilor what happened this morning. Are you sure this is the right decision?" Jarvan asked.

"I know this means we have to free her, but she could prove to be a valuable asset," Garen defended. "I know it's a risky decision, but it's not like she can go anywhere else."

"That is true... she wouldn't even be safe in the Institute, that man does not play by the rules," Jarvan said, remembering his own encounter with the Master Tactician.

"I propose that we offer safety among our city in return for her assistance. I know it will not please the citizens, but it will allow us to keep an eye on her."

"Very well, I will see what we can do on my end. Could you bring it up with Miss Du Couteau?"

"Sir." He saluted.

"And Garen?"

"Yes?"

"Please do not fraternize with her, I think I made that clear last time we talked."

Garen's shoulders slumped. "Yes, sir..."

The Might of Demacia exited the prince's study, nearly walking straight into the half dragon, Shyvana, as she entered in turn. Even though he was curious about what business she could have with the prince, Garen continued on his way to the barracks and down to Katarina's cell.

"Katarina?" he called out into the dark room.

"... what is it?" she grumbled.

"I'm here to talk to you about your living arrangements. Jarvan wishes to offer you a place to stay here in Demacia," Garen said.

"And the catch?"

"Not really a catch but you'd be assisting us and you'd be staying with someone to watch over you."

There was a pause. "I'll accept under one condition."

"And that is?"

"I get to choose who I stay with."

"Within Prince Jarvan's approval, of course," he said. "Who would you like it to be?"

"I would like to stay with a certain Demacian noble. I have fought with and against them in practice matches, and while this person had never caught my eye before, they have now."

If Garen had been sitting down he would've been on the edge of the seat. _'It's me, isn't it?' _were his hopeful thoughts.

After a long pause she spoke again, feeling she'd tortured him enough. "Luxanna Crownguard."

Garen blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"Your sister, Luxanna Crownguard," Katarina repeated.

"No-" Garen tried to deny.

"I'd say that sounds perfect," Jarvan interrupted as he stepped into the room.

He turned to the prince in shock. "But… but my Prince-"

"Also I came to welcome you, formally, to our City of Justice, Demacia," Jarvan went on, oblivious to Garen's pleas. "Garen, please fill her in with anything she should know about staying here. I don't have the time to stop and chat, but it was nice to meet you in person."

"The pleasure is mutual," she said. After a pause, she added on a polite bow.

"It is good to see your father's manners were passed down, a shame he went missing. We were so close to a treaty. Do have a good night." After a returning bow, the prince left the room as quickly as he'd entered.

"Why can't you be that nice to me...?" Garen grumbled.

Katarina shot him a dirty look. "Quit mumbling, you dog, and go set up my room."

He smirked. _'Well, I suppose this isn't too bad either...'_

"Also, I expect a better shirt than the one you brought me last time sitting on my bedsheets!"

He crossed his arms. "You'll get the same thing we all get: linen."

She gave him puppy-dog eyes. "I'm sure Garen, the Might of Demacia, could manage to get poor little Katarina some modest silk clothing..."

"Er... I'll see what I can do..."

**"Now review you filthy dogs!" Katarina demands! Yes I have made Katarina my Sla- Katarina? Why are you holding that dagger... I was just joking... You can put that down now... Please?... -gulp- Be right back guys! -Runs away-**


	3. Chapter 3

"This court has been assembled today to decide upon whether or not the claims made by the prosecutor, the city-state of Noxus represented by the summoner Ivan of house Blackstone, can be verified and that without a doubt the defendant, Katarina of house Du Couteau, is guilty of them. Should the defendant be proven guilty following the regards of the aforementioned A614 appeal made by the intervening Demacian government, she will be returned, forcibly if deemed necessary, to Noxian custody. Should she be found innocent of the claims, Katarina Du Couteau will be released from citizenship under the city-state of Noxus to continue service as an independent individual under the protection of the Institute of War, pending her incorporation into another city-state. The trial will now proceed."

The bailiff's words echoed throughout the expansive courtroom. The floors were made of the finest cut marble, the columns made of a magically reinforced stone with glowing blue runes illuminating the room, and floating above pedestals placed periodically throughout the room were nexus crystal fragments humming with power, providing warm blue light. On the far side from the judge's stand sat rows of benches with a single aisle down the center. On both sides sat two tiered seating sections enclosing a central area for the defending and prosecuting tables. Summoners stood at attention throughout the room, keeping vigilant watch for any potential outbreaks between the two rival city-states. At the front sat the Council of Equity, three high ranking summoners led by Vessaria Kolminye.

"If the prosecution would please make their claims," the bailiff began.

Ivan Blackstone, a black-haired sharp-faced man cloaked in the usual summoner garb with Noxian decals, cleared his throat, stepping into the space between him and the council. "Ladies and gentlemen of the council," he said giving eye contact to each of the three, "Katarina Du Couteau is a traitor and deserves death for her actions." He paused, grinning over at the red head. If he'd wanted to provoke her, he was swiftly disappointed, as all she gave in return was a raised eyebrow.

Turning back to the council, he continued. "She disobeyed orders given directly from Grand General Swain and fled her city-state without any grant of leave. Her actions and those of her compatriots, Talon and Cassiopeia Du Couteau, have left a Champion of the League and two squads of soldiers dead, all of whom had families." he gestured to a group of grieving widows, sitting in the stands to the right. "Prior to our attempt to apprehend the defendant, she had been sighted speaking with Demacian emissaries."

He paused. "Not long after this, a convoy meant to deliver supplies to our troops in the far north was taken out by a surprise ambush attack that seized the vehicles and killed most of its escorts. The survivors have testified under our own questioners that the attackers' style of warfare and uniform almost perfectly matched that of Demacian Special Forces. As a consequence of this, our deprived strongholds in the north were unable to halt a barbarian attack that again took the lives of most of our intrepid soldiers."

He put a hand to his chest in theatric mourning. Katarina resisted the urge to snort in contempt. "The only known person who had been in contact with Demacia within the time period possible was Katarina Du Couteau," he said once his expression hardened. "The implications are flagrantly obvious to us at this point and it would be a grave miscarriage of justice to let such a treasonous act pass by unpunished. I have nothing more to say."

With that, he turned to make his way to his seat again, grinning at the glaring red head while his back was turned to the council.

"Miss Du Couteau," Kolminye began, "would you or your associate like to make an opening statement?"

Katarina and her representing summoner glared at each other immediately. He was technically there to help her build her case, but one would have never guessed that from the way he was treated like a target dummy.

"_I_ will speak," she snapped when the man tried to stand. "I have _never_ divulged any classified secrets to Demacia. What few interactions I had with them before were, and now are, for locating my father and the corruption within the League. I will not deny my interactions with them occuring, but I can guarantee that any leaked information did not come from me or anyone associated with me. My father raised me to love Noxus, and I have done nothing but the best for it. Thus," she took a breath to stop herself from shouting, "Noxus' claims of treason are entirely baseless and hold no real evidence."

Kolminye exchanged a glance with the two other council members at her side and whispered a few words. Then, she looked back at the redhead. "Very well. Miss Du Couteau, step forward and place your palm against the fragment. We will be truth-reading your thoughts. Relax and do not resist our entry."

_'Relax?'_ she thought._ 'How am I supposed to relax when they go traipsing through my thoughts?' _Katarina scowled as she made her way to the crystal at the front. Upon reaching it she took a deep breath and rested her hand on the crystal. It let out a hum and a faint glow when the distinct feeling of being watched amplified. It was similar to when someone was watching her, but instead of boring holes into the back of her head they were boring into her mind – she'd have felt less exposed if she was naked.

Then came the flashbacks, they happen every time a new summoner "links" to a champion and are very disorienting. Soon the court room faded from Katarina's vision and she could see a small stone room with several occupants. She recognized the scene from several months ago when she'd taken asylum in Demacia to reveal the corruption in the institute. The lavish paintings and décor contrasted the darkened corridors of Noxus. Sitting at the table with her were Garen, Jarvan, Talon, and a few other dignitaries from the Demcian noble houses. The guards around the room were alert, keeping their hands on their weapons whenever she so much as moved suspiciously.

"Is that all your father's notes mentioned?" Garen asked, making a convincing attempt at sounding serious.

"There is more," she clarified, not in control of her body, "but it has no relevance to what we were talking about."

"Maybe one of our associates could take a look-" he began.

"I said **no**," she repeated.

The leader of the Vanguard scowled. "This could prove to be valuable infor-"

"Garen," the prince interrupted, "let her be. She clearly will not show us the rest." He turned to face the redhead. "I'm sorry for his rudeness. As promised, for the information on the information on the DDS Excursion, we will provide you all the information we have on your father..." Jarvan's voice distorted and faded as the surroundings shook and morphed into a later scene.

Disoriented, Katarina watched the new picture form, trying to piece together what it was. She was in a dark alley, the wretched smell of magic and sewage blended into her nostrils. She began walking forward, a large rat scurrying at the sound of her steps, towards a small warehouse. Upon reaching the door, she knocked three times, when it was returned she knocked once. The sound of locks echoed through the alley, and when they quieted the door creaked open.

The inside was even drearier than the outside with the flickering light bulb in the center the only source of light to illuminate the debris-filled path.

"Welcome!" a voice greeted from the shadows. "I have been waiting for some time now."

"Save your banter for someone that cares," she barked. "What news do you have about my father?"

"Ah, Noxians. So blunt, so serious..."

"I can be so murderous too if you want to keep wasting my time."

"Oh... no... that won't be necessary. Do you have my payment?"

Katarina threw a small pouch into the light. "You can count it if you like, but don't waste time."

"Oh no, I trust you. Shall we begin?" His voice trailed off as darkness once more swirled into Katarina's vision. Visions continued to flash by, going from meetings to childhood memories from various scenarios. Then they ceased just as quickly as they started.

"Thank you, Katarina," Kolminye said before she'd even managed to clear the images from her vision. The Councilor at Kolminye's side was furiously scribbling down notes onto a sheet of parchment, so she waited until he was done before continuing with, "You may now return to your seat. Jericho Swain, will you please approach the crystal?"

Swain slowly rose from his seat at the prosecution's table, resting his weight onto his cane as he stood. His walk was timed perfectly to pass the assassin as she made her way back to her desk. Beatrice just glared at the red head as they passed, which Katarina returned with equal vitriol. Neither party stopped to exchange words and Katarina sat down while Swain touched the crystal with no further interaction.

The fragment began to hum and shine brightly, and there he stood after shutting his eyes. At points the crystal would glow brighter and hum louder, but it never once caused any discomfort to the man. After standing there for nearly an hour the blue glow faded and he stepped back.

The man to Kolminye's left was still scrawling down notes at a furious pace for thirty seconds after Swain had left contact with the crystal. Again, the High Councilor waited patiently for him to finish before addressing him again. "Thank you, Swain, you may take your seat. We will now go to recess while we draw our conclusions."

With that, the three councilors slipped out through a door behind their stand making hushed whispers, while the few audience members filtered out the main doors.

"Miss Du Couteau," Jarvan called out as he and his escort, Garen and Shyvana, approached. "Would you like to rest? They had you expose your mind for several hours, and I know just how trying it can be."

"I'm fine," she said politely; however, as she stood up, her vision blurred and she stumbled. Garen caught her by the arm before she fell.

"Are you sure? We have a place you can rest until the Council of Equity returns with their verdict."

"Positive," she ground out, not even trying to hide the venom in her voice. "I just need some fresh air."

"Would you like someone to keep you company?" he asked.

"No." She waved off the next complaint about to leave his lips and left the small group behind her without another word.

"Luxanna," Jarvan called out, "I know you're there. Please watch over Miss Du Couteau."

There was no answer besides the sound of the building settling.

"Are you sure she was here?" Garen asked, looking about for any signs of his sister.

"Your sister wouldn't ignore the chance to gather information," Jarvan said primly. "She's a bit too curious for her own good. That's why she was an excellent spy, it's a shame she decided to join the League. Shall we go grab a bite to eat? I really have this craving for mutton."

Just as Jarvan had predicted, the blonde mage scurried after the red head. Katarina, unaware of her follower, made her way to the training grounds, sticking to the lit paths in the chilly night air. After grabbing a few training knives, she stood and stared at the target. Confused, Luxanna watched on. With a flick of the assassin's wrist the knife launched towards the target and just as it sliced into the dummy's shoulder he had two more buried into his back. With a flurry of strikes, she targeted his would be vital points, giving no proof of her dizziness until her foot landed on a small stone sending her crashing onto her butt. In a panic, she looked around to see if anyone was around to see her fall, and seeing no one stood up and brushed off the dirt in a huff. Then she began her routine again.

Luxanna continued to watch for several minutes, intrigued by Katarina's maneuvers and the sheer determination she took to her regime even when her dizziness repeatedly made her stumble over her own feet. The whole display was entrancing to watch for the young light mage.

She was so focused on the redhead that she didn't even notice the shadows that began to appear around the training area so it was quite a startle when Ivan stepped out of the shadows to surprise both women.

"Good evening, Miss Du Couteau!" he said politely.

Now Luxanna did notice something – the shadows around the area began to shift and morph. She cast her head about in alarm.

"What do you want, asshole?" Katarina growled, clutching onto her knives.

"I just wish to talk." He held his hands up to show he was unarmed.

"About what?" She made no move to drop her guard whatsoever.

"Returning to Noxus. Swain has decided that he was wrong and-"

"Bullshit," she spat. "Swain's too arrogant for that."

"Such contempt for your superiors." He let out a dramatic sigh. "I was hoping to do this the easy way, but you leave me no other choice." As he began to walk away he lifted his right hand and clenched it into a fist. "I take no pleasure in doing this. Good day, Katarina."

She bristled. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean you-" A poof of smoke and he was gone. "That asshole…"

A rustle of the bushes around her caused her to spin around, hair flying in all directions. Her jaw dropped at the sight of black armored men climbing out of the undergrowth and the soil around her. "Oh, fuck..."

Luxanna wasn't far behind, still cloaked but ready to fight, when the group charged forward. For the amount of armor they were wearing they were unusually quiet, but neither had time to think about that as the first one was met with a knife burying itself up to the handle in his forehead. To Lux's surprise, he exploded into a black mist. "Necromancy..." she mumbled.

Katarina, too focused on the full frontal assault of twenty plus soldiers to bother paying attention to their magical nature, failed to notice another swarm of them rising up behind her. Luxanna acted quickly, snaring the closest two with hardened bindings of light before launching a compressed ball at them. As it exploded, the two shattered into mist like Katarina's victims.

The assassin turned around to stare at her, dumbfounded, as Luxanna continue to launch small bursts of light every which way. "The hell are you doing here, kid?"

"I was curious!" she shouted back. "I was getting kind of bored of the court room! This seems like a lot more interesting!" She launched another orb at the oncoming group. "So how many of these do you think there are?"

"Way too many," she snapped as she broke her staring to duck under a sword swing, plunging her knives into his gut before tearing them up into his chest. She dodged right as another sword slid right where her head would have been. "For crying out loud! Just where the hell are they coming from?"

"Want to find out?" Luxanna called over her shoulder.

"I'd like for people to stop trying to kill me! Since that doesn't seem to be happening, how about a way out of here?"

"One pathway coming right up!" She leaped into the air letting her baton spin freely in front of her. "DEMACIA!" A brilliant laser tore through their ranks, disintegrating an entire swath of warriors as she landed back on the ground. "Quickly, before they-" The opening almost instantly vanished again as more soldiers burst from the earth to reform it. "-fill the gap. These guys are determined…"

"You're not helping, you moron!" Katarina roared. She flinched as a ghostly arrow shattered on the glowing barrier hovering a few inches from her face.

"I'll get the archers and you watch my back!" Luxanna yelled.

For once, Katarina decided that her plan was sound and arguing back wouldn't accomplish much. She flourished her hands, nicking several daggers between her fingers and flinging them as fast as she dared in her current state. A half dozen clones fell, but more were still coming. She brought her hand down to her hip to retrieve more throwing knives, but her stomach dropped as her hands met empty air. A quick glance down revealed only one other knife, besides the one in her off-hand, was left.

"Fuck."

o-O-^-O-o

"Where is she?" Jarvan whispered hotly. "The court is about to start again!"

"Would you like me to go look for her, sir?" Garen responded.

"No... if anything bad had happened Luxanna would have come and let us know."

"That's what I'm worried about..." Garen murmured.

"Is there something wrong?"

"She hasn't reported back either..."


	4. Chapter 4

**I am very sorry for the amount of time this took! I know I made a lot of people worry, and then I rose their hopes with my little announcement. However, here it is! Finally complete, and with the Shaw stamp of approval! Go forth my readers and bask in the "fine" (Shaw) chapter. (He didn't think it was amazing /cry) **

**Also, I highly recomend making an account to review! It allows me to respond via PM as I do not wish to crowd the chapter with answers to reviews.**

**Also, I should mention here what my image of the institute is. The main part would be the actual building for the summoners, and it sits at the top of the hill. Below that there is almost a city like infrastructure. You have houses, shops, and other niceties; however, these are mostly occupied during times of matches and empty otherwise. Katarina and Lux are situated about halfway down which consists of training areas. Seeing as most combatants are gone these are literally EMPTY. The few that remain practice in the areas more towards the top, as they consist of more realistic training through illusions. However, Katarina is very old fashioned and prefers the straw dummies to the soulless clones.**

"Holy fuck!" Katarina panted, clasping at her upper arm. Smeared blood covered her left arm as she attempted to fasten a bit of cloth into a makeshift tourniquet.

"Here, let me help," Lux offered, but the redhead turned away.

"Just find us a way out of here," she growled. "I can handle a simple knot." She grasped one end with her teeth, using her free hand to attempt to finish tying it. Luxanna glanced around the corner. A few shades were in the courtyard, but they hadn't discovered their location. Yet.

"We should be safe here for a little, but we shouldn't stick around too long," the mage cautioned. She took a seat on a barrel. "What I don't get is how the Institute hasn't noticed this already. Necromancy takes a huge exertion of magic but no-one has come to dispel it. It doesn't make sense…"

"Damn it!" Katarina mumbled to herself when the knot came loose in her grip again, ignoring the young light mage.

Lux glanced over at her predicament and slipped over to her side. "Here," she reached out to grab the cloth, but Kat just spun away from her. "Stop being so damn stubborn!" the girl snapped. With a sigh, the assassin turned back and let Lux tie it. "Can you still use it?" the blonde asked, gesturing to the arm.

"I should be able to. But if you had been paying attention this wouldn't have happened anyways."

"That is true…" Lux tilted her head a little. "But do you have any ideas about this?" She stepped back and returned to her place on the barrel. Katarina's look of confusion answered for her. "You know… on how they have managed to not get noticed? The magic?" she clarified.

"Oh…" Katarina wore a grimace. "No clue. Maybe they're using something to mask it?"

"Not possible," Lux shot down immediately. "Barriers only hide small amounts of magic."

"Well maybe they aren't actually using a lot of magic," she scoffed.

"That wouldn't make any sen-" Lux froze. "…wait. That's it!"

"What's it?" Katarina asked, frowning.

Just as Lux opened her mouth to explain her discovery, one of the black creatures stumbled into their hiding spot. Katarina easily dispatched it with her single knife to the face, but it was already too late. The rest were instantly alerted and charged the small alley. Just as a large group rounded the corner, a large ball of light rammed into them and exploded, shattering most of them into so many clouds of dust.

Lux just pointed to the worn staircase going up the hill. Katarina nodded in agreement. They sped up each step, Lux casting a shield to protect them from the hails of arrows fired from the demonic archers. It held but had lost its gleam by the time they reached the top. However, instead of being greeted by the next level they stared at the level they had just left.

Katarina's eye twitched. "Didn't we just leave this area."

"No… well yes, but not really," Lux answered.

"And what's that in sane person language?"

She puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "It means yes, we did. This confirmed my thought from earlier. Essentially we are in an illusion."

"So none of this is real?"

"No. Sorta. Look we don't have time to explain now. We just have to get back to the training area."

With a grunt of annoyance, Katarina sped towards the already gathering group of shadows. Using her two remaining daggers she leapt into the fray, slipping behind them and killing the one in the back. She ducked under a sword that flew through the mist before leaping at the attacker's throat. The shade broke into tiny particles with just a touch, allowing Katarina to slide through. Skidding to a stop, she was forced to use her hands to slow down. However, before she could balance herself, an ax swung downwards. She tumbled forward, throwing her already weakened balance off-kilter. Next thing she knew, she was staring up at an out of focus-spinning skyline. She was surrounded by glowing red eyes set in blackened suits of armor that dissipated into fog at the end.

'_Man this sure looks familiar_' she thought to herself jokingly. _'Well… I guess I could-' _

Before she could finish her thought, a thin red beam drew the glaring eyes away from her. She lied there for a split second when a sound caught her attention.

"DE-" Katarina spun onto her stomach, "-MACIA!" The redhead saw the grass underneath her illuminate to a florescent white before returning to its familiar green. She blinked a few times to rid her vision of the afterimages.

"Was the scream really necessary?!" Katarina snarled as she flipped back over and righted herself. She glanced around for more enemies, suddenly apprehensive. "Plus, I totally had that covered."

Lux returned a knowing smile. "Sorry, it's a habit," she said. She offered her hand to the assassin, but it was knocked away. Still the blonde kept smiling. "It should be this way."

Katarina shook her head at the Demacian's uppity-ness but followed nonetheless. While they encountered smaller groups of the shades, none lasted very long under the duo's second wind. They often met their demise to a quick blade or a dazzle of light. They took a few more nicks and scratches that they liked in the exchanges, but they shortly found themselves staring at the empty training grounds.

"What do we need here?" Katarina asked, not removing taking her eyes off the surrounding terrain.

"Not sure…" Luxanna answered; her eyes focused on the ground. The assassin, however, was watching the growing figures on the horizon. "It should be somewhere around here though."

"You better hurry," she growled, prepping her daggers. The ensuing horde was growing in size and gaining ground. She took a stance. "Kid… you found whatever it is yet?" She got no answer from the mage. "Kid…" Still nothing. _'Fucking hell…'_ she thought to herself. "Kid! They're coming!"

"I just need one second! It should be right around…" Katarina couldn't wait one second. She charged at the leading group ready to plunge her daggers into them.

"… here!"

And with that triumphant exclamation from the light mage, Katarina's vision violently distorted as though looking through a whirlpool. The horde of black soldiers vanished as she promptly lost her balance and fell forward. The ground rushed up to meet her, but before they collided a pair of large blue and yellow metal greaves appeared below her and caught her in her fall. She managed to twist her neck to see the surprised face of Garen staring back down at her.

"Never thought I'd be happy to see your ugly mug…" she grumbled before he righted her again.

Garen's face was warping all over the place as it tried to express confusion, anger, and irritation at all once. "Where have you been?!" he demanded.

"You want it straight?" Katarina asked. At his nod, she continued, "I have no goddamn clue. Go ask your sister over there. She seemed to know."

He scowled at her but did as she said. As soon as she was prompted, Luxanna launched into her explanation and held out her open palm. Inside it was a silver ring with intricate runes engraved in the center.

"This is the anchor for the illusory spell we were trapped in," she said, flipping the ring around to see the other side of it. "I'm guessing Ivan dropped it nearby before meeting Katarina and activated it just after he left. We were too distracted with what he was doing at the time to see it activate behind us."

Garen nodded, frowning. He held out a hand as if to indicate Lux to give him the artifact, but she pulled the ring away while shaking her head.

"It still has magic in it," she explained. "These runes-" She pointed to the inside. "- are the ones that create the trap. I'm not quite sure how they'll react to someone else's touch."

Garen stood up again and scowled. "Regardless of the ring's capabilities, I need to get you back to the court room. You're extremely late." Katarina's mood dampened at the words.

"Fuck…" she muttered to herself. "Let's get this over with." Luxanna stopped her.

"You should probably clean up a bit before-"

"No time," Garen interrupted.

Nobody argued, and they climbed – or limped in Katarina's case - the steps to the building. Lux had pocketed the ring into a small pouch on her side by the time they arrived at the doors. Before entering, the redhead wiped the dirt off her face while Garen dusted off the mage's back; however, Katarina still had the bloodied cloth around her arm. Garen pushed open the door, waving the two women to enter first before following.

Everyone in the room turned to them. Some had looks of impatience while others looked relieved or upset, but Ivan looked baffled. He turned and whispered something to Swain. The warlock's eyes darkened in palpable anger for just a brief moment at his words, and would've been easily missed by a normal person, but Luxanna was observant. She whispered to Katarina what she'd seen, giggling lightly, and the assassin scoffed in a good-natured manner.

Katarina approached her table to a sweaty and nervous summoner. "I- I'm so glad you-" he stuttered before her glare silenced him. She took her seat as far away from the man.

"Miss Du Couteau," the bailiff's voice echoed, "do you have a reason for your tardiness?"

"I was…" she glared at Ivan, "Held up. However, I do apologize."

The bailiff watched her for a moment before signaling for the councilors. Ivan's cool demeanor had completely degraded as he flipped through a folder in panic. He repeated the process to the same papers until Kolminye and the others settled into their seats. Katarina could hardly contain the grin she had from the man's panic. The councilors decided to begin the actual trial rather than dismissing it immediately; however, Ivan's case was falling apart.

o-O-^-O-o

The look of defeat sat on Ivan's face as he once again failed to get any evidence from a witness. Kolminye excused the witness, and Ivan took his seat. Swain had left hours ago and it was clear there was no point to the trial.

"Summoner Blackstone," Kolminye began, "I am very disappointed. You had assured me that you had evidence. Now I see that was a lie." She turned towards the few remaining attendees. "We, the Council of Equity, find the defendant innocent of Noxus' claims. We hereby grant Katarina Du Couteau freedom." Ivan took his leave, desperate to flee before he was mocked further. Most of the remaining crowd followed after him. Kolminye turned to the assassin. "Have you any ideas of which city-state you would like to join?"

Before Katarina could answer, Jarvan interjected. "Seeing as how she has been a guest of Demacia, we offer a hand to the Sinister Blade."

"And is this also of your opinion Ms. Du Couteau?"

"N-" she began, but a tug on her arm stopped her. She glanced to her side, and there was nothing there. She knew differently and could sense the blonde's bubbliness. She remembered her curiosity of the mage. "Is it possible to do it temporarily? In case it doesn't work?"

"I don't see how that would hurt," Kolminye answered.

"Then I accept."

o-O-^-O-o

"Today," Lux read aloud, "Ivan Blackstone was found dead in his room. It was evident from a note and the manner of death that it was a suicide. This is both a tragedy and a surprise. I am kidding no one here. After such an embarrassing spectacle I too would do the same. But alas, I am not supposed to say such drivel lest my publisher get mad. So I will say what he wishes me to-"

"Is that L.B. Briskes?" Katarina interrupted, bringing a fork full of food to her mouth. Along with her sat Garen and Lux in the smaller dining hall. She originally was eating alone, but Garen and Lux came to share the news.

"Hmm…" the blonde scanned the page, "Yes."

"So much for basking on the coast," the redhead mumbled to herself. She returns her attention back to her plate, ignoring the conversation between the siblings. Luxanna set down the paper and a section caught her eye.

"_As a consequence of the ruling on Ms. Du Couteau's case, they have found both Cassiopeia Du Couteau and Talon innocent as well, but their current location has yet to be found."_

"Kat?" Lux called out, using the pet nickname she'd come up with.

"What do you want, kid?"

"I was just wondering what you plan to do now."

She sat there for a second before smiling. "Things."


	5. Chapter 5

**First of all I would like to apologize for how long this took. Almost a month and a half (If I remember correctly). At first it started with my Dad's surprise birthday party and his present (which is still unfinished). So then the day came and passed, and everyone had a wonderful time. About 80 people came and it was a genuine surprise for my dad. I mingled with guests but in turn I spent a majority of the time with my close family and neighbors (before I broke off to go play baseball). This included my Grandpa. By the actual day of my Dad's birthday (the seventh of June) my Grandpa was admitted to the hospital. On that Thursday I visited him. Sunday (Father's Day in America) he was gone. He was a large part of my life up to that point and you can imagine what it's like when you lose a large part of it.**

**I had, at that point, already had some of the chapter written but it came to a standstill. Thursday and Friday were his viewing and funeral, respectively. I have since had about three weeks to get to the chapter, but I just hadn't had the motivation. I dabbled on it, but would erase most of the work I did. Then I finally hit a break through. It definitely isn't quality work, as Shaw can attest, but it is the next chapter. You can call it a little bit of filler with some plot advance, but I call it progress.**

**I'm not telling you this to get you to feel saddened or pity. I am telling you this to quell any possible fears that I am dropping the story. If you do wish to include a personal message feel free, but I do ask you keep the reviews on topic. Anyways, please do enjoy.**

* * *

"Oh, how droll," a woman snapped. She fixed her emerald green eyes, sparkling in the early morning rays, at the cloaked man standing a short distance away. "I was expecting some glorious fight from Noxus. Instead, I was stuck with you in that inn's tiny thing they called a room."

"I was no more thrilled about the situation than you," he growled.

"Oh, such a friendly one you are. I never understood why my father took you under his wing."

"My skills, not my social prowess. You'd have been dead long ago if it were otherwise." He continued his march. "Hurry up or I'm leaving you behind again."

"Oh, Talon, so uncouth. The least you could do is help a beautiful lady like myself."

"I have yet to find a lady of that description since we left that village, Miss Du Couteau," Talon responded, continuing to gain some distance between the two.

Cassiopeia snarled and reared up on her tail, hissing. "Oh, you'll pay for that!" she sneered, chasing after the Blade's Shadow as fast as her slithering allowed.

"And stop putting, "Oh," at the beginning of every sentence," Talon growled.

o-O-^-O-o

"Miss Katarina?" the man asked.

Katarina spun around. In her hands were multiple scrolls. Upon seeing who had hailed her, she scowled. "What do you want?"

"A message from the Institute," he said shortly. She glared at him but extended a hand anyway, in which he quickly dropped a neatly pressed letter before making his way out.

She rolled her eyes at the man's hasty retreat. "Coward…" she grumbled to herself. She turned on her heel, about to be on her way again, but her head suddenly spun as it crashed into something with about the same hardness as a brick wall, dropping her scrolls and letter. She cursed as she put a hand up to her forehead and glared at the Might of Demacia as he stared back. "What do _you_ want? It had better be a good reason."

Before he answered, he collected the fallen scrolls and handed them back. Katarina accepted them with a brisk snatch but held the glare.

"I came to ask if you would like to join us in the ballroom later," Garen said at last. "The prince wishes you to be there, being the newest champion of Demacia."

Katarina's eyes narrowed in suspicion. She hated balls, but there was no way the Demacian crown family did not know this. "What is in it for me?" she asked.

Garen arched an eyebrow. "I'd at least think you'd want to act courteous to the city-state that saved you."

"Not really," she sniffed. She made her way around him and continued onwards.

"Lux will be saddened to hear that," he said as she retreated.

Katarina instantly froze. She couldn't see his face, but it had already split into a wide grin.

"She would?" she asked.

"Why, yes," he said, sounding deceptively mild. "After all, it is a party for her birthday. She is turning 18, the age in which she begins looking for a suitor. She specifically asked the prince for you to come."

"Why?"

"I truly do not know," he answered with a chuckle. "That girl's mind is a piece of art! Perhaps I could be so bold as to ask you to accompany me there?"

There was a pause as the redhead considered her options. "I'll go." As Garen opened his mouth to thank her for her gratitude, she added, "… but I'm definitely not going with you." His face fell as she didn't even look back at him and continued on her way for the third time in as many minutes.

He stumbled sideways as the blonde hostess, after uncloaking herself, wrapped her arms around a steel-covered arm. "Thank you, brother!" she said happily.

The tough soldier blushed before saying, "It was nothing." He cleared his throat. "Anyways, you could have asked her yourself."

"Well..." she said, biting at her lower lip.

"I know." He paused. "You're going to get hurt," he said. Her happy expression dropped, and he gave her a reassuring smile and ruffled her hair. "Come on, let's go get you ready for your party. You do have a better chance than I do," he added, bringing back his sister's smile and in turn bringing his back as well. "Don't think this means I am giving up!" he added as they began to walk towards the blonde's room.

Katarina, meanwhile, had made it back to her own room and was removing the wax seal of the institute on the letter. Just in case, she slid the contents out onto the desk. She had already had two incidents involving mysterious powder and acid, but this time only a small, folded, sheet of paper slipped out. Deeming it safe, she opened it and dropped her eyes to the bottom of the page.

"_Cassiopeia Du Couteau"_

Her eyes returned to the top.

"_My dearest sister, it is glad to see you are doing well. When we, myself and that oaf Talon, arrived I was shocked to learn of your whereabouts. Surely, I must have heard wrong. Demacia? Yes we agreed to go there for protection, not to stay! Please let me know these peasants are wrong and that this is just a joke. Also…"_

Katarina's eye twitched and skimmed down the rest of the page. The entire rest of the passage consisted of her sister berating Demacia and her decision to stay there. "I swear her brain is the size of a snake's… she wasn't _this_ dumb before," she mumbled to herself.

Still, it wouldn't do to anger her sister, so she wrote a simple reply, explaining how Demacia could be used to locate their father and that there was something of interest there. When she was about to add the final touches she was surprised by the knock at the door.

"Garen Crownguard sent me to make sure you were prepared for the party," a voice on the other side called.

Katarina scowled. "Shit." She hurriedly started scribbling down the rest of what she wanted to say and slammed her pen down. "I'll be out in a minute," she added.

"Yes, Madam."

She pulled open her closet. It was filled with clothes; a gift from the prince and generally a lot more fitting for a party than her usual preferences, although he had been generous enough to cater to her tastes in some of the choices. After pondering for a few moments, Katarina chose a long black dress with no sleeves and a split skirt for greater freedom of leg movement. It was more revealing than was likely proper for a ball, but she put it on anyway. She applied her make-up, added a few accessories, and tamed as many of her fiery red locks as she could. She avoided the heels and instead went with a pair of flats before exiting for the ball room.

Her escort excused himself as they approached the main door. Inside men crowded the floor, seeking a dance with one of the many lovely ladies. None were courageous enough to approach the main table where the Crownguard family sat. Luxanna sat in the center with her parents to the right of her and Garen to the left. Her father, Marcus, was a spitting image of the Might of Demacia but with more wrinkles and less muscle while the mother, Lilia, was more alike to Lux, looking almost ten years younger than her husband.

Instead of approaching the hosts, Katarina made her way to the buffet table, grabbing a glass of wine from a waiter standing nearby as she went. This wasn't as evasive as she'd hoped, as naturally Garen shortly excused himself from the table after he'd seen her.

"You've arrived. I was afraid you would not come," he greeted as he approached. "I must add that you do look quite… stunning tonight."

"I didn't come for you," she retorted, thrusting her empty glass into another waiter's grasp and snatching a full one back. "Also, I'd recommend you stop looking at my behind before it becomes the last thing you'll ever see."

"There's worse ways to lose your vision, I suppose," he said with a laugh. "Would you join me for a dance?" He held out his hand. For the first time this evening, the redhead turned to look at the man. His hair was groomed, his suit the proper fit, and he even smelled semi-decent.

After her moment of surprise, she frowned. "Did I ever do something to make you think you had a chance with me? Because if I did I don't remember."

"So is that a no?"

"That is a 'never ever'," she clarified.

"There is always hope!"

"You're unbelievable." She took her plate of food and glass of wine to one of the open balconies, shooting Garen one final withering glare before she left him behind.

With Lux trapped by her parents, Katarina found her reasons to come fleeting. There was a brief moment of hope as, while her parents were distracted by a fellow Council member, the blonde slipped away at the pretense of a dance. The second she left her father's presence, however, the men swarmed her, all wishing to dance with the pretty young hostess. With no other way to escape but to fancy their requests, Lux reluctantly accepted their proposals.

Katarina just scoffed at the debacle. "So much for wanting me here." She downed the rest of her drink and salad. With a sigh, she entered the ballroom again and waltzed over to the bar at the opposite end of the room. "Hey, tender. You got anything stronger than this watered down crap here?"

The man looked her up and down, almost like he was judging her ability to hold her liquor. "Sure," he said.

She held out her glass. "Fill it."

She strutted away with her, now full, glass. She wasn't going to let the party go to complete waste, so she might as well have her fun. Turns out the strongest drink they had wasn't much stronger than the last, so with a sigh of defeat, she decided to return to the main dance floor. As she did, she was approached by none other than Marcus Crownguard.

"Good evening, Miss Du Couteau," he spoke up. "You are a popular topic nowadays. It is wonderful that I can actually meet you on this fine evening."

Katarina schooled her expression into a neutral demeanor. Though she'd detested her etiquette training when she was a child, she was secretly a little glad for it now. "And it is a pleasure to also meet you, Mr. Crownguard," she replied, masking her brashness with some conjured nobility. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"Ah, straight to the point. Perhaps we could talk in private?" Katarina glanced at the blonde, but she was too distracted to notice.

"I would like to point out that I am not at liberty to share any knowledge of Noxus."

"I have no care for such prattle, I would love to talk about your father."

Her head snapped back to face him at once. "What about my father?" she asked immediately.

"Your loyalty to your family is just like him," he noted with a short laugh. He suddenly halted, casting a wary glance at a sharply dressed man across the room. "Tomorrow. Stop by my office. This is too public."

Before Katarina could even respond, his large strides had carried him out of earshot and through a crowd. However, when she followed he had vanished. She shut her eyes and let out a sigh. Her attention returned to the half-drunk wineglass in her hand. She swirled the liquid from side to side, distracted. "Just one more drink," she mumbled to herself, but when she turned about she was startled by a pair of piercing blue eyes.

"You're leaving?" Lux asked, a hint of sadness draped in.

A pang of guilt travelled through the redhead, and that surprised her. She shrugged it off. "This isn't really my type of crowd. Where I'm from a party is more drunken and stupid than regal and…"

"Boring? Yeah, it is. Want to go somewhere else?" Katarina paused to look at her glass tilting from side to side again. "I know where they keep the good stuff," Lux added slyly.

The assassin broke into a smile. "Alright, fine. But I'm only going for the booze."

o-O-^-O-o

"And sho I was tellin 'im to take 'is hand off my rear," Luxanna slurred, as she huddled under her jacket. They had snuck out to a small garden towards the back of the castle which, besides a few servants, was empty.

"You only had two drinks and this is how you end up?" Katarina said with disbelief. "You are such a lightweight." She slapped her hand across her eyes, adding an exaggerated sigh for effect. She was wondering to herself just why this petite blonde mage had ever piqued her interest. Baffled, she downed another half of the bottle with hopes she might find the answer at the bottom. She didn't, but it didn't matter.

"But 'is hand kept trailin back, sho I left. Then I found you… well… I had to look for you." Katarina could smell the alcohol on the blonde's breath, and seeing how little she had drank meant she was well within the redhead's personal space. However, each time she moved away Luxanna moved closer, and Katarina was running out of bench.

"Alright, I'm leaving," she said as she stood. Lux's blurred eyes followed the redhead, and the pang of guilt returned. She shook her head at the feeling, but it persisted this time, more determined than Garen. She turned about with defeat hanging onto her shoulders. "You can make it to your room, right?" she said, holding her typical gruffness.

Lux needed no answer as the second she got to her feet she sped back downwards. "You're pathetic, you know?" Kat continued, having managed to catch her before she smashed in her nose on the stone walkway. No response. "And… you passed out. Great. Just what I wanted to do: babysit." Seeing as how she had no key to the mages room, she figured the mage could deal with having to sleep in the redhead's instead. "You are so going to be dead tomorrow," she grumbled to the air.

After hauling the blonde's incapacitated body all the way back to her room, she set her down on the couch before searching for a decent blanket. The closet was luckily able to provide a huge bathroom gown just capable of covering the blonde's body, so she draped it over her figure before clambering into her own bed.

One last glance. Katarina's gaze softened just slightly as she looked at the light mage's peaceful and contented expression as she slept, before shaking her head as she realized what she was thinking.

"Pathetic…" she intoned one last time before reaching over and dousing the light.

She wasn't quite sure if she was referring to Lux that time, or her own feelings.

o-O-^-O-o

"I'm glad you could make it."

"I'm not here for idle chit chat."

"Yes, I know. Just like your father; although he was much more polite about it."

"Spill," she demanded.

He smirked. "Patience, my dear-"

"I am not your 'dear'."

The smirk faded. "If that's how you'd like it to go, then. Should I start from the beginning? Or maybe you like to read the end first?"

"No." Katarina's glare hardened. "Tell me everything."

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**Once again I apologize for the long delay to get this chapter done.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I KNOW! IT TOOK ME FOREVER! I am so sorry about that. There were still things to do with my grandpa's stuff after his funeral and then school started up again and I got little work done. Or well... I did get a lot done as I rewrote this chapter like 6 times before I finally became happy with it. So, I apologize for the wait, but I hope it is worth it!**

* * *

It was almost midday when Katarina was finally allowed an escort to the meeting hall.

After following her assigned guards through a meandering series of corridors and stairs surely designed to confound any intruders, she was ushered through an ornate stone door into the antechamber of the throne room. Towards the back was an even more ornate stained wooden door with two elite Dauntless Vanguard on either side. One remained motionless and paid the woman no attention as the other inched open the door to allow passage. The escort excused himself, leaving Katarina to enter by herself.

Inside was a grandiose limestone and marble-coated room carpeted with embroidered red fabric and boasting a beautifully intricate ceiling painting that stretched from wall to wall detailing what Katarina assumed to be the entire founding history of Demacia itself. At either side of her path, a dozen guards stood at attention, and at the very end, a vibrant golden throne sat atop a raised stone stage.

It was, all in all, completely superfluous and distasteful to the empirical redheaded assassin. This was just Prince Jarvan's throne room, let alone the king's himself.

Said royal warrior himself was the current occupant of the throne, donned in a relatively modest waist-long shirt and dress pants, accessorized with a golden sash, shoulder pads, and cuffs. A balding but equally trim man stood at his left.

Katarina, with her own ensemble of a revealing leather bustier, stomach tattoo, skintight pants and steel boots along with her trademark, empty, blade harnesses and crimson hair color looked _frighteningly_ out of place here.

"It is good to see you, Sinister Blade," Jarvan greeted politely.

Unperturbed by the difference, Katarina strode up to the steps before the prince's seat and glared directly at him. "I need to go to the Freljord," she declared, ignoring his acknowledgement.

The prince blinked, taken aback by her rude response, but schooled his expression. "The Freljord…?" he inquired.

"That _is_ what I said. I have received information about my father that I wish to investigate. It would require just a small group: myself, a capable guide, and a few soldiers."

He frowned. "You do realize what you are asking of me?"

"Yes."

"And you also realize that I can't just grant this permission offhand?"

"Because…?"

"Because it is a private excursion unrelated to crown matters," he explained bluntly. "As such, it would need to be provided for from your own funding."

"That's ridiculous," she snapped, drawing an annoyed frown from the prince. "You're royalty. Who cares if people object?"

"It's not that simple," he said sternly. "Demacia runs things differently from Noxus. The image and reputation of the crown family is important to maintain order and stability. Imagine the outcry if the people had heard that their taxes were being used to fund outings for a woman who just a few months ago was one of our sworn enemies."

As Katarina gritted her teeth, the man standing beside Jarvan passed him an aside glance. "Sire," he said, "there actually might be a way for this to fit your needs and that of our guest."

The prince turned to regard him. "I'm listening."

"As you already know," he began – although Katarina suspected it was much more for her benefit than that of the Exemplar – "Queen Ashe of the Freljord has already recently solicited our assistance in in the north. If we were to send her expedition with the official explanation that she intends to execute this aid, she would also be able to investigate her lead."

As Jarvan nodded thoughtfully, Katarina's anger faded. "Intriguing… what did she want?" she asked.

"She needs assistance scouting out the Noxian forces based in the area," the advisor said, turning to face her with just the faintest hint of disdain. "They have recently become more… active."

"That's impossible. I gave the standby order myself not too long ago."

"Yes, it was staying that way for a while, but they set their targets on new goals. The Queen would like to know why."

"Wouldn't seem like something you'd hesitate on investigating."

Jarvan shrugged. "At the time, open defiance of Noxus was not something we had planned on displaying. However, now that Swain is in control of Noxus, I feel we could easily justify sending a group of soldiers. You would still have to maintain that façade as our envoy however while you investigate your leads."

Her lip curled. "So I have to play the part of a diplomat, do I? For your benefit?"

"Of course." He inclined his head. "Also of course, a declination on your part would mean you would not have our support, so…"

"I'll do it, but I won't like it." She turned to leave before she remembered something. "One last thing. You remember Talon? I informed him that I had information about my father. He's probably in town, and will be joining me when I visit the north."

The advisor stiffened. "We would have to-"

"I have already approved the motion, Lionel," Jarvan cut him off.

"B-but the queen-"

"Whether we said no or not would not stop him. That man is more persistent at a task than anyone else on Valoran." He cleared his throat and turned back to Katarina. "If that is all, Miss Du Couteau I have other important matters to attend to. My advisor here will arrange your trip." With that, he stood and beckoned for her to leave. As they and the guards exited, the two parties went their separate ways as they marched off deeper into the catacombs while she left the castle and strode back to her room in the barracks.

It was still a bit of a disaster, as the room had been prepared in a rush. It had previously been a storage closet and, despite the added lights, was poorly lit. Some of the old armor that the room had stored there sat pushed along a wall and a few cobwebs still lurked in the corners. They had moved a bed against one wall, a desk along the one adjacent, and a makeshift vanity next to that. They had promised they were working on some proper accommodations, but for the time being this was the best they had.

Katarina first approached the desk, adjusting the lamp before rooting through a few papers.

"I know you're there, Talon," she called out, bored. She pulled an envelope out from the pile and tossed it in a seemingly random direction. "Here."

Silent as a wraith, Talon slunk out from the shadows and snatched the letter out of the air. "You sure took your time." He stared at the envelope. On it was the stamp of a particular jet-colored flower, like the one the general had given Cassiopeia. "The Black Rose…"

"Again."

"And where'd you get this information?"

"Marcus Crownguard of all people." She paused waiting for his response, but he just continued staring. "He just gave it to me. No demands and no questions. He passed that envelope, with the letter in it, to me and talked about the old fort."

"That is peculiar…"

"That's why I did a little digging before I did anything. Everything he told me fits," she said, "that's when I wrote the letter to you. I figured you could confirm this."

"Yet you're already began planning an expedition?"

"It's a clue, and it's more than we've gotten in a while."

"I haven't heard anything about the Black Rose and the Freljord. It would not strike me as impossible though," he muttered, before turning to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to check a few… sources."

And he was gone as the door remained ajar behind him.

She rolled her eyes. "Or don't say goodbye, not like it hasn't been a month or two since we last saw each other…" she trailed off, but before she could finish mumbling to herself, she caught the faintest glimpse of gold from the crack in the doorway just dash out of sight. "What do you want, kid?"

Her cover blown, Lux meekly stepped into the room and shut the door properly behind her. "Was that…?"

"Talon? Yes, it was my asshole kind-of-kind-of-not brother."

"I thought you weren't re-"

She waved a hand. "Pfft, no. He's just annoying like a little sibling. Not that you'd know, being the annoying sibling."

Luxanna huffed. "Annoying younger sibling…" she grumbled. She shook her head. "Never mind. What was he doing here?" she asked instead.

"Grown up things, kid. Maybe you can annoy your brother into telling you?" Katarina turned around to clean up the papers on her desk, so she missed the tongue shot at her.

"I'm not a kid anymore!" she defended. "Plus, I heard about your expedition already," she added, almost like she was bragging.

Katarina frowned and turned in her seat. "Speaking of eavesdropping, just how long have you been able to do that vanishing act for?" The assassin turned back around, and Luxanna had made her way to the bed which she decided to sit on.

"This?" she asked, cloaking herself.

"Yeah, I don't remember you ever doing that at the Institute."

"Well… since…" She hesitated before she got a bright idea. "You know what? Follow me!" She launched off the bed towards the door but quickly realized the redhead was not following. Instead Katarina continued staring. "Come on. I promise it'll be worth it."

Katarina turned back and straightened the same pieces of paper over and over as she thought about it. She wanted to know more about the blonde's ability, but couldn't stand being around her for too long either. Finally, she gave into her curiosity.

"Alright, but make it quick."

The blonde's eyes lit up. "Follow me!" she repeated, grabbing hold of Katarina's hand. "You won't regret it!"

They left the barracks and went through the training area, where many soldiers turned to stare at the scene of a young blonde woman leading a buxom redhead by the hand. They continued past that until they were outside a stone building about three or four times larger than her own room. Luxanna ran up to the door and signaled for Kat to follow. She gave the building another glance, trying to decide if it really was safe to enter. In the end, she followed despite her instincts telling her no.

The room was almost completely bookshelves. They filled up the walls and even parts of the walkway, plus they were further crowded by scattered books that had no room left to sit.

"What is this place?" Katarina asked.

"My personal library," she answered nonchalantly. "Oh and there's this little thing over here!"

She led Katarina around the whole place. It was mostly books and the like but there was a separate room for her to practice her magic. It was specially built to withstand magic or something, the rest went over her guest's head.

"So what does this have to do with you and your invisibility?"

"Oh! Yeah… almost forgot about that." She frowned up at a seemingly random section of bookcase. "Um… where was it…" She ran over to one of the bookcases towards the back. "H… I… J… K…" she said aloud as she traced her hand along the spines. "Here it is!"

She pulled out a thin yellow book. Unlike the others it wasn't a multivolume tome on the study of magic, but it was a diminutive little thing that looked like it had seen better days. The spine held no writing and was falling off, but that didn't stop the blonde from opening it. She flipped to about halfway through and handed the book over to Katarina to read.

At first glance, it became evident why it was so different. It was a journal, and according to the dates this entry was from about four years ago.

_Dear Journal,_

_ I finally figured it out! It was simple, so tantalizingly simple that I thought it but a preposterous solution. By using my innate ability to pluck the strings of light I can make myself vanish into thin air. Before I tried to pull the light to me, and encase it around myself. That did not work though. It did however make an extremely condensed barrier of light around me that I have found to deflect attacks. But by pushing the light away from me it creates a small pocket in which the light wishes to fill and by keeping the light away from me it grows. Then I let it flood into the space and it wraps around you bending the light for several seconds. It seems the longer I hold the light back the longer the light hides my position. So much so that holding it there for one minute can hide me for half a day! I can't wait to tell my instructors!_

Instinctively, Katarina flipped the page. The following date was about two weeks later. It mentioned Noxus and her new ability, but was startled as the blonde mage hastily snatched the journal away again before she could read further.

"What's this about Noxus?" Katarina asked in a low voice.

o-O-o-O-o

A little outside one of the guardhouses in the easternmost of Demacia's outskirts, a group of people stood in awe as they watched a scene unfold. A long haired brunette was singlehandedly outmaneuvering a group of five soldiers while juggling a small leather ball at her feet. She gave a mighty kick and sent it flying between two marked trees. A few of the viewers gave a hearty cheer while the others grumbled and surrendered a few coins to the victors.

Rather than being in her typical armor and scout's wear, Quinn was decked out in a pair of long pants and a form-fitting top with her hair tied back into a short ponytail. Her clothes were slick with sweat at this point but the fierce grin never left her face.

"Come on, Arthur, you said you guys trained!" the brunette teased one of the more rugged guys. For being almost a head taller than her, this was pretty impressive.

He waved a hand. "Ah, calm yourself. We went easy on you because you're a girl!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," she teased, slapping him on the arm. "Well, that's game though. Five to O." She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder as Valor took to the skies.

"Rematch tomorrow!" Arthur shouted.

"We'll see!" she replied and waved back.

The guys returned to their game as Quinn slunk off into the streets, with Val tagging along above. She wandered the markets but didn't buy anything, and she visited a few other guard houses and joked with the males there.

As the day neared its end, she returned back to her inn towards the outskirts of the city. In her room, after having dinner, she found an intricate blue envelope with golden embellishments. Frowning, she tore the note open and skimmed the letter inside.

"So much for a leave of absence," she muttered.

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**Remember, I love it when you guys/girls review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I told you guys I would have it out before the end of the month! Well kinda…. It was really shitty and rushed as I tried to finish it before school started again. Well…. Shaw waved his magic fingers and turned it into something readable even rewriting huge chunks of the chapter. (I had planned to redo those parts after Shaws edits but he beat me to them.) Anyways, Enjoy the update!**

Besides the constant hoof beats and creaking of the wagon, it was a quiet night. Quinn had opted to ride with the handful of soldiers joining them, leaving Katarina and Talon alone in the carriage. Neither were keen on conversation but instead on the papers they had studied hundreds of times between them. They could likely have recited their contents word for word off by heart at this point, but neither was willing to risk missing a tiny, crucial detail or secret message that had slipped by.

They hadn't, but the concern was there.

They'd begun the trip at dawn that day, and were scheduled to arrive at Rakelstake in four days' time. They had with them five wagons; two for the soldiers and Quinn, one for themselves, and the last two for their gear and cargo.

They managed to review a few more pages before the convoy was called to a halt somewhere in the middle of Kaladoun to rest for the night. Leaving Talon and the lackeys to set up the camp, Katarina briefly roamed the surrounding area. It was clear of most creatures, save for a few birds and small rodents, and hidden in the trees. It would suffice for staving off her paranoia for now.

After an hour the camp was set up. A total of six tents and a fire, with something that resembled beans cooking in a pot. An hour after that and it was lights out.

Day two began with repacking and clambering back into the wagon beds and departing to their next stop. It continued on with this tiresome repetition for the next two days. Check information, set up camp, rest, and leave. Their trek took them near the base of the Ironspike Mountains to avoid the Howling Marsh, and from there it was a straight shot to Rakelstake.

-o-O-o-O-o-

On the last night, the weary travelers began to see the top of the mountain behind the city, but it wasn't until the last leg of their journey that the Statue of Avarosa standing with its arms spread wide in welcome appeared at its base in the distance.

Dusk had already passed by the time they reached the city walls and the sun wasn't much more than a dim orange band stretching across the celestial hemisphere, but regardless, the Demacian carriages were warmly greeted by the Avarosan city guard and shown through after a brisk inspection.

While Katarina had been in Rakelstake before in the midst of carrying her orders during Noxus' Barbarian Pacification Campaigns, she had never actually spent much time taking in the sights herself. She begrudgingly admitted that the imposing glacial walls rimming the city made for a rather inspiring backdrop, albeit the glare from the moon making the reflective ice somewhat bothersome to look at.

The city sat on tiers and a large path flowed through the center. Though the streets were empty, it surely wasn't dead. Laughter leaked out onto the streets from the surrounding buildings where people celebrated the end of a hard day, arguments pierced the walls and echoed through the alleys, and childrens' screams of joy bounded with their energy. The few who were still out at this hour glanced at the approaching caravan with curiosity, although nobody seemed interested enough to investigate it.

Katarina drummed her fingers impatiently on the window frame, more eager to find some warmer housing than sit in a freezing cold caravan By contrast, Talon held himself motionless; an ignorant person might believe he was asleep, though the redhead knew it was simply his interesting way of observing his surroundings.

Just before the statue's outstretched foot sat the mansion. It was made of a similar stone and architectural style as the ruins though it was evidently more recent in construction, for its stone was not as worn. It was about two floors high based off the windows, surrounded by vegetation limited to pine trees and a few shrubs and hedges. The outside looked cold and unwelcoming, but the warm yellow light spilling out of every window was enough to persuade Katarina it would be a fine place to call home in this frozen tundra.

To her surprise, there was none other than Ashe waiting for them serenely at the top of the porch stairs, though the assassin had to concentrate for a moment to recognize her out of her cloaked archer's outfit. A blue dress decorated with a white skirt and gold embroidery rested elegantly on the Freljord queen's body, and just in case there was any doubt about her position whatsoever, she'd adorned herself with a large and flamboyant gold crown embedded with cut emeralds.

"Val! You crazy bird!" Before Katarina or Talon could even put their feet out the coach's door, Quinn was already stumbling over herself trying to catch her Demacian eagle partner who'd flown on far further ahead than tradition said he could.

Ashe, however, merely laughed and raised her arm. The errant avian latched on without any further prompting and glared at Ashe, demanding to be petted. "Why hello there, Valor. It's been much too long since your last visit."

Quinn was scowling as she finally caught up. "Hello, your Majesty."

"Quinn," Ashe interrupted in a frosty tone before the ranger could bow. "You never did say goodbye last time you were here."

The Demacian froze, then straightened and let out a nervous laugh in an effort to save face. "Er… well, your Majesty, I…"

While Quinn stammered about for an excuse, Katarina approached, ignoring the wind's cold bite. "Queen Ashe."

The Freljord's recognized leader turned to look at her, her smug expression melting into something somewhat more… controlled. "Katarina Du Couteau," she replied shortly. "It's been a long time." Her eyes deflected for a moment to regard Talon, also making his way over. Her brow knitted in somewhat obvious displeasure. "I wasn't told _he_ would be coming along."

"Nice to see you too," Talon remarked in the same tone he might use to discuss the (terrible) weather.

"He's with us," the redhead cut in.

Ashe paused for a few moments as if pondering the answer to a difficult question, but soon shook her head, apparently deciding it wasn't worth it. "Come in, then, all of you," she beckoned. "We have a wonderful meal prepared for you to enjoy. Leave your baggage at the door and the servants will bring them to your rooms."

She didn't give any of them time to refuse. With a sigh, Katarina followed as Ashe led them around, talking a little bit about the Freljord's recent developments which only seemed to interest Quinn to any extent.

The rest of the evening passed quickly. Dinner was spent mostly in quiet; the only talking were hushed whispers between Quinn and Ashe. After that had concluded, a few servants led them their separate ways and into their rooms. Katarina was on the second floor in a room towards the back. It still didn't beat her own bedroom back in Noxus, but anything was better than that shack they called her room back in Demacia. She stripped off her worn clothing and threw on her nightwear before clambering hastily into the bed, which felt wonderfully soft after so many days spent riding in a rickety wagon. Digging out her notes again, she resolved to skim through them at least a few more times before she fell asleep.

She only lasted about a dozen or so reads before her next nod-off had her head hitting the mattress, papers strewn about as she kept researching all the way until her eyes closed.

-o-O-o-O-o-

Katarina awoke with her arm feeling completely numb from where she'd slept on it. Grumbling in annoyance, she sat up only to notice her notes neatly organized into a stack on her nightstand. She eyed them curiously, not remembering if she stacked them herself or not, before climbing out of bed.

To her delight, a message left on the door indicated that a warm bath had already been drawn for her, and that when she was done breakfast would be ready for her downstairs. She spent several minutes soaking in the hot water, graciously taking the opportunity to rid herself of the grit and dirt she'd accumulated over the past several days of hard travel, and tried to make herself look at least presentable as Demacia's official ambassador. Cassiopeia would almost certainly have scoffed at her attempts at preening herself up, but Katarina could settle for much less.

The cold air of her bedroom was biting to say the least when she exited her en suite, so she only bore with it long enough to dig through her dresser and fish out a thick set of casual wear. The heavy fleece padding was much less flattering on her figure than she usually preferred, but she had to admit the fur lining didn't look half bad on her, and it kept in the warmth well. After she was finally done preparing herself, she made her way downstairs.

The breakfast hall was quite a bit smaller than the dining room she'd eaten in last night, only seating six or seven people, and by the time Katarina arrived, it was mostly occupied. Ashe, Talon, and Quinn politely greeted her as she joined them, but the newcomer Tryndamere, sitting at his wife's side, only gave her a suspicious look before returning to his meal.

After their plates had all been emptied and taken away, Ashe cleared her throat at last. "I am sure you were filled in with some information before heading here, but I think it would be wise to give a fuller explanation now." She paused, making sure she had everyone's attention. "As you know, our troops had been having difficulty with Sejuani's constant raids on the villages on the outskirts-"

"We didn't come here to help you fight your rival," Katarina interrupted. "You asked for help with Noxus."

"Yes, I know," she replied calmly. "The problem is that suddenly her attacks stopped. We also received reports that the troops Noxus had deployed along the coast have vanished. I fear that they have either attacked Sejuani's tribe or they have struck a deal. I do not want to take any chances in the case of the latter. The two most bloodthirsty factions on Valoran forming an alliance is something nobody would like to see." She cleared her throat again. "I have also requested aid from Princess Lissandra."

At the mention of the Frostguard leader, Katarina noticed out of the corner of her eye that Quinn abruptly stiffened, and Talon had to have seen it as well. Ashe and Tryndamere gave no indicator of their own sightings, so the two assassins remained quiet.

"However, our messenger was found dead impaled by a stake of pure black ice," Ashe continued. "Rumors among the troops are that this so called 'Ice Witch' did it."

"Ice Witch?" Katarina queried.

"An old tale parents tell their kids to scare them straight," Tryndamere answered with a scoff. "They say a monster travels along a bed of coal-black ice and kills or kidnaps those who stay out after dark. It's nothing but wild stories, of course. No simple ice could best my sword!"

"The Ice Witch may not exist," Ashe resumed, "but someone out there who wields that ice and wishes to topple our nation certainly does, making it a threat we must worry about."

"And this is important because..?" the assassin prompted.

"Lissandra and I have promised each other our mutual aid," the archer said. "I plan to have a small scouting party approach the camp with a small number of troops following close; however, I cannot risk taking my eyes off Noxus."

"Which is where we come in," Talon spoke up. "You want us to track and find where Noxus has gone."

She nodded. "Normally, I wouldn't ask such a favor, but between our forces dealing with the Winter's Claw, the Ursine, trolls and humanitarian aid, we simply don't have the manpower to do it on our own."

"I still think we could have done this ourselves…" Tryndamere grumbled. "One word and we'd all have nice bear rugs in our homes."

"We have discussed this before," Ashe said briskly, ending the line of conversation as soon as it had started. She turning back to the group. "We have the details in the war room, if you don't mind."

The war room was a simple thing, far unlike the bustling and distinguished war rooms of the more militaristic Noxus and Demacia. It consisted of a large table with a similarly large map and not much else. The room was stone and completely sealed off and guards stood outside. It was clearly not a room most visitors got to see.

Like most war rooms, though, the map was pockmarked with various small needles at specific locations. The most predominant was a dagger impaled near the North Eastern coast just beyond the Ironspike Mountains. Several other marks were clearer. North of the pin marking Rakelstake were multiple smaller pins along with one larger one marked "Winter's Claw". On the other side of the valley was the mark for Princess Lissandra's Frostguard.

"This is where the Noxian troops were," Ashe said, pointing at the dagger, "but as of a week ago they vanished. We suspected at first they had left, but their ships are camped off the coast here." She pointed just around part of the Ironspike Mountains.

"And these markers here?" Talon gestured to the ones north of Rakelstake.

"Skirmishes amongst my soldiers and Sejuani's raiders. It's bloody but we'll be fine, especially after we get the aid from Lissandra."

"Is there anything else you can tell us about the Noxian forces?" Katarina asked.

"They up and left in the middle of the storm we had last week. No tracks and no scents. The trail was gone. And no place near the area has been attacked. You'd probably have a better idea of where they went than I since you are a Noxian."

Katarina caught the animosity in the words. "_Was_," she hissed darkly, noting with satisfaction the way Ashe leaned back a little in response. "Don't forget that." She looked back at the map. "As for what the hell Swain wants to do, he probably wants war. He always spoke of it like it was a sport. We'll find out soon enough."

And so concluded their brief meeting. Ashe and Tryndamere left to arrange their departure the next day, much to everyone's displeasure. Katarina lamented having to leave the comfort of the mansion so soon after reaching it. Regardless, she buried her displeasure and spent the rest of the day repacking and studying the maps as she had before.

"We should stop by the Frostguard Citadel," Quinn suggested, after tossing the last of the bags of salted meat that would be feeding them for the long journey ahead into the supply caravan.

Katarina stared at her from her position of leaning against the stagecoach and Talon paused in stashing his arsenal of blades into the luggage compartment. "Why? You heard Ashe. She was going to send another messenger. It'd just be a waste of time."

"I just have a feeling something is wrong," Quinn insisted. "You read my report, from last time I was here?"

The redhead cast her mind back and remembered the fraying yellow pages she'd been asked to read during one of her briefings of her mission. "Yeah. What about them?"

"'What about them?'" Quinn parroted in confusion as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The Ice Witch is _real_, Du Couteau. I saw her myself. And I know she has something to do with the citadel."

"And?" Katarina raised an eyebrow as she twirled a knife in the air in boredom. "It sounds like you don't even have any evidence."

"You of all people should know better than to ignore your instincts," Talon abruptly snapped, slamming the compartment shut with more force than was probably needed. "You've even got the scar to prove it."

The redhead shot him a glare that could have withered flowers. "Watch your tongue, Talon," she snarled. She returned to her blade-catching. "Alright, Demacian, let's play your game. We'll stop and restock our food supplies while we go and pay a visit to this _Ice Witch_ of yours."

-o-O-o-O-o-

Most if not all of the native trees were gone by the time they stopped the next day far up in the mountains, and it was purely through sheer weather rather than deforestation. Darkness had fallen several hours ago, and the soldiers began to set up camp about five miles from the Citadel.

For Katarina and Quinn, though, the night was young. The two women made their way up to an elevated sheer rock face overlooking the valley, where the former Noxian finally managed to get a good look at the Frostguard Citadel.

It was quite a stolid thing, bearing far darker stone hues than the fortress at Rakelstake. It was difficult to see much of the internal city there as the condensing moisture in the air fogged their vision, but she could make out towering spires and weathered stone buildings that spoke of the Citadel's immense age. It reminded her much of the infamous skull fortress built into a mountain back home in Noxus, though a few dozen degrees colder and harder to defend.

"You were here before," she said. "How did you get in?"

"They just let me in the last time I was here," the austringer answered. She pointed at the half-frozen river carving its way through the valley. "The only gate in and out of the city is down there. Heavily guarded at all times so there's no chance we're getting in that way." She shifted her arm to indicate the cliffs above the city. "But the precipices and rocky features nearby give plenty of alternate routes. It's impossible to guard them all, so it's just a matter of waiting for the changing of the guard."

"Got it." Katarina glared down at the misty sprawl below them as if to evaporate it all with her gaze. "So we're sneaking in. Why?"

"They keep you under complete surveillance. If you want to find out anything they can't know we are there," she answered. She blinked. "Oh, and keep an eye out for this symbol here." She put a finger to the patchy snow underneath them and sketched what looked like a frozen eye into it. "This is actually in a lot of places down there but it's more ornate on more important icons to the Frostguard. I made a note of it the first time I arrived here and sent it to Ezreal over in Piltover, as he knows a lot about old symbols. He said his specialty was Shurima and Kumungu but that he had an idea on someone who might know. A few weeks later-"

Katarina glared at her.

Quinn got the message and held up a hand to stave off any biting remarks. "Fine. Short note is that these are a symbol for an ancient group called 'The Watchers'. They're not much more than an old wives' tale at this point, but the symbol occurs so often in the city that it can't be a coincidence. There's not much else on them, so I'm hoping we can find out some more once the time comes to infiltrate the place."

The redhead rolled her eyes. A mission within a mission within a mission. Why was everybody suddenly so eager to take advantage of her?

"We should get back and get some rest," Quinn advised, standing up. Taking one last look at the foreboding Citadel below, Katarina followed suit and the two returned to the campsite.

A soldier hailed them as they approached. "Wing of Demacia," he said, pointedly ignoring Katarina standing right next to her. "We've had a situation develop here."

"Oh, of course," she muttered. "What is it?" she growled, cutting in in front of Quinn.

"It's best if you come see for yourself, ma'am," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "Stay here," she grumbled to the ranger. "I'll be back in a moment."

The guard led her to one of the two supply wagons, where Talon was already waiting for her.

To her alarm, the bladesman was wearing one of those shit-eating grins he usually wore after catching someone doing something very embarrassing as he liked to do. She frowned. "What the hell do you want, Talon?"

"What do _I_ want?" he asked smugly, the stupid grin never leaving his face. "The better question is who the hell wants _you_."

Not understanding his pointlessly cryptic rhetoric at all, she opened her mouth to snap something rude, but the assassin gave a wordless suggestion by indicating the unlocked wagon. Frowning in confusion, she pulled open the door and stared inside.

Light blonde hair, illuminated by the torchlight, shone out from underneath several blankets.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Katarina growled.

**Alright, I ask that you please review! I also apologize for such a long wait! I have also begun an original project with the help of my friend! We are working together to create an original webcomic. (My terrible writing and his amazing artwork!) For anyone interested it won't be published or anything for a good deal of time as we work together to flesh out the characters and story. Not to forget, I plan to get at least halfway done with the stuff before even publishing the first part. That way I can keep updating on a regular basis. (Something I should have done for Betrayal…. Whelp too late now!)**


	8. Chapter 8

**What? I'm not dead? Lies! Well to be honest I was busy with school and crap that I won't go too much into detail at the top here (There will be some at the end though). So first of all sorry for this really late update, and hopefully I will be updating more frequently since it is summer. Well what are you waiting for? Go read!**

"What in the depths of the Void is wrong with you?" Katarina snapped.

They had since moved from the wagon after Katarina had nearly dragged the blonde to where the main carriage was stopped on the outskirts. Katarina paced back and forth while Lux sat on the step, looking uncomfortable. Talon took his position against the carriage wall with a large grin as he watched the scene unfold.

Lux actually winced, shifting a little in her seat. "Well, you do look like you could use my help."

The redhead pinched the bridge of her nose, keeping her temper in check. It wasn't as if she didn't like the blonde – she had after all helped Katarina survive before – but Lux just had that way of bringing out the child in her.

"If something happens to you," she said slowly. "Demacia will see to my dismissal and execution. I do not need another city-state hunting for my head."

"Nothing will happen to me."

"Yes, because you're not going to help."

"I'm your best bet of getting in there," Lux insisted. "I can go invisible! What more do you need?"

"We already have a plan to get in with the changing of the guard-"

"And how do you know the guard cycle?" the blonde challenged. "I can get in there at any time."

"This is ridiculous," Katarina snapped. "Did you actually stow away for six days just to throw yourself into my problems?"

"I wanted to help."

Green eyes stared coldly into blue for just a moment before blue flinched back.

"Alright. The prince's political advisor ordered me to come."

"Why?"

"To keep any eye on you."

Katarina recalled the thinly veiled distaste the ugly man standing beside Jarvan had shown her when she'd had her meeting in the throne room. It was a wonder she hadn't seen this coming. "I hate that man already."

Lux stifled a giggle, which stopped after a glare from the assassin. "Now that I'm here, though, I might as well help you."

The unlikelihood of discovering a master Demacian spy in such an embarrassing fashion did not escape Katarina's notice. "What's in it for you?"

"I get to serve my country," she replied.

The redhead crossed her arms. "Bullshit."

"Bullshit or not, it beats waiting for the change of the guard," Talon interjected. "We can get in and get moving faster this way."

Lux nodded in agreement.

Katarina gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine," she snapped, "since I clearly have no say here, let's just go and get this place over with."

"I'll be right back!" Lux hopped up and vanished, the only sign of where she was being the visible footprints she made in snow as she walked across them.

One hour passed, and then two, and then three. Most of the people in the camp had already gone to bed long before, but Katarina stayed awake with her head leaning on her fist, watching and waiting. She knew better than to think Talon was one of the ones asleep. In a couple more hours light would be there and they'd need to leave.

Her already long day just kept growing longer. With a long drawn-out sigh, Katarina hopped from her seat in the carriage into the bitter cold outside. She stopped for a second to fix the added fur to her armor and hiked away from the camp, with no luck finding the blonde's footprints.

Eventually, she gave up scouting the immediate area of the camp and found herself wandering the short distance to the cliff side where she and Quinn had scouted the Frostguard citadel earlier that day. The dropping temperatures of the night had made most of the dense fog from earlier condense and disappear, so she had a remarkably clearer view of the city even with the lower light, though some patches of fog still curiously remained.

Katarina paused as she stared at the fog. Then she squinted. And then she frowned. That wasn't fog, that was… smoke?

Her eyes widened, but then she narrowed them again and squinted harder at the rest of the city to take a closer look. More details making themselves clearer in the faint twilight. A handful of buildings in the city choked out small columns of oily black smoke and dozens more appeared to have been partially demolished, rubble just barely visible in the streets of the city that had been cloaked in mist earlier that day.

Lux went into that? She took a few steps back in alarm.

"What? What is it?" Talon abruptly spoke up behind her as he approached. She tried not to jump at the sudden voice.

"Take a look," she said grimly.

The Blade's Shadow stalked up to the edge of the precipice and looked down at the wrecked citadel. His bored expression didn't even change. "Well, that doesn't look good," he said dryly.

"Shut up and follow me," she snapped as she knelt down next to the edge and levered herself down to the wall. Using a throwing knife as a makeshift ice pick, she let gravity scrape her way down to the bottom, landing safely in the thick snow. "That kid better not be dead…" she growled under her breath as she jogged in the general direction of the castle and Talon landed behind her in hot pursuit.

The approach down the steep hillside wasn't any more uplifting. Shattered metal and wooden war machines, many with shards of an eerie obsidian-colored ice impaling them, lay strewn periodically along her path. Dozens of corpses of who had to be the members of the Frostguard lay frozen and mostly undecomposed in pools of rusty brown snow, but there were a handful of differently clothed ones strewn in the chaos: chainmail with lots of spiked metal plating, but the real giveaways were the shields and the symbols on them; a skull with axes, swords, and hammers behind it.

The symbol of Noxus.

"Fuck," Katarina snarled. "We need to find that kid." She redoubled her pace – even Talon was having to push a little to keep up.

She crunched through a thick layer of shrubbery to come within sieging distance of the Frostguard citadel's towering wall. At least, towering was the previous descriptor, for it looked like prolonged bombardment had viciously removed at least two feet off the top of the entire thing. A small section of the wall had even collapsed entirely, exposing the streets on the inside. Katarina charged straight to the collapsed section and went on through, stepping over the small array of bodies stuck inside it.

The streets were utterly silent. No yelling, fighting, or jingling armor pervaded through the roads and alleyways; just bodies long frozen scattered under rubble from the shattered buildings. Katarina dimly noted a giant eye symbol engraved on most flat surfaces of the place, almost as common as the bodies surrounding them. She felt like she was being watched.

Maybe that was what made her so on edge, or maybe it was the movement in the shadows, and the occasional rock tumbling in the broken streets.

The feeling didn't disappear as they kept shuffling forward, the destroyed buildings and erected barricades forcing them to detour into alleyways and side streets. Beasts hid in the shadows too afraid to approach the living. Scavengers. Too weak to hunt the living but not picky about the condition of the food. The evidence was the frozen husks left behind when the creatures scattered. Still, the redhead didn't imagine the occasional one wouldn't try and snag themselves a warm meal instead of a frozen one. By the time they reached the palace, the Sun was beginning to dimly glow over the horizon and Kat was having to rapidly blink to forestall her increasing fatigue.

As the two cautiously made their way past a shattered portcullis in the center of the palace, they stopped in place. Beyond it lay a wide octagon-shaped courtyard that might have once looked ornate but now could only manage a gruesome look as countless guards lay amongst each other in a wide circle around the entrance. But it was what was in the center that disturbed Katarina and Talon the most.

Clad in red, black, and gold and stained a dark brown with blood was a single squad of Noxus' infamous Crimson Elite. Most of them had been brutally impaled by coal black ice spears or stapled to the ground through their limbs, leaving them mutilated beyond recognition. Two others had been crushed to death by frozen claws. The captain, bearing the most vibrant uniform and the group's unique skull insignia, remained standing at the very center; however, he'd evidently released his final breath some time ago, as he had been frozen solid in a chunk of ice even bigger than the undead monstrosity Sion. In his frozen clutch was his spear-banner, having clearly driven it upwards into a giant spike of the black ice.

Neatly locked inside the ice was the figure of what looked to Katarina like an unnaturally pale woman armored in thick obsidian plating, and, aside from the obvious massive injury of having a blade impaled in her stomach, looked almost perfectly preserved. Her upper face was cloaked in a black visor and helm, but her teeth were gritted as she clutched at the wound.

Whatever that woman was, neither wanted to approach her as the foul stench of what was likely her magic still lingered. Instead, they examined the bodies further out, laced with shattered pieces of the black ice.

Curiously, Katarina reached out and tapped a finger against one of the shards of dark ice before immediately recoiling from the cold shock, her hand numbed. It was still frigid to the touch despite having been here for several hours. "What in the void happened here…?" she mumbled.

Talon grunted. "Perhaps the Demacian girl knows. Her notes showed a figure almost identical to this one in one of her last recountings."

Katarina frowned as she tried to remember the name. "The… Ice Witch, she said?"

He gave a terse nod.

The redhead paused. "It couldn't hurt to see what…" She abruptly halted and both assassin's whirled in place with their weapons at the ready when the sound of a piece of burning timber hitting the ground echoed through the courtyard.

There was a slight squeak of terror as the woman stared at the disturbance and realized that the light given off by the fire seemed to shimmer like water in a rough figure-like shape right next to it.

"… she knows," Katarina finished crossly. Her cover blown, Lux dropped her cloak, staring at the ground with her hands behind her back in a bashful manner. Katarina might have found it cute if she wasn't for the situation.

"You deal with the Crownguard, I'll go let the others know about this," Talon said, sheathing his blades after seeing that there wasn't any threat and immediately heading back the way they'd come.

Katarina glared at his retreating figure. "Yeah, leave me with the kid… asshole." She sighed, running her hand through her hair.

Lux was blushing madly as the buxom Noxian stalked over with a dark look on her face. "Hey, Kat."

"Hey, kid," she growled. "You better have a damn good reason why you were missing for the better part of the entire _night_."

"W-well…" she said hesitantly, "I came down here and saw everything was destroyed, so I set about collecting a bunch of information on the battle at first until I stumbled upon the… Ice Witch there." She gestured at the frozen corpse of said icy witch. "Gives me goosebumps," she added, as if Katarina cared.

Her eyes narrowed. "Her, or the cold? You've been out here all _night_ in sub-freezing temperatures. I think your lips are starting to go blue."

"I know, but the amount of knowledge here is… Incredible! These runes-" She pulled out her notebook and pointed to a bunch of unruly chicken scratches. "-are ancient Freljordian! And…"

She flipped the page of her book and looked about to rattle off even more information before Katarina cut her off. "Anything about our frozen friend over there? Or just a bunch of boring history?"

Luxanna's grin fell. "Not really. Not unless we can get most of these texts translated." She put a hand to her chin in thought. "Though a few Frostguard soldiers were still alive when I came here a few hours ago. Almost all of them were murmuring their final prayers to who they called the Watchers."

"What are you on about now?" she asked in exasperation.

Lux paused, her blush returning. "Sorry, started rambling a bit." She shook her head. "Can we get Quinn here? I know she'll want to see this."

-o-O-o-

"Never thought I'd have to see her again…" Quinn murmured as she approached with, with Valor taking refuge on her armguard. She turned to Katarina. "That's the Ice Witch alright."

"Yes, but _why_ is she here?" she snapped.

"I'm not sure you'll be terribly interested in that."

Katarina's glare hardened.

The ranger frowned. "Didn't you ask me to shut up about this when we talked earlier?"

"This bitch just slaughtered half an army by herself and took on an entire squad of Crimson Elite," she retorted, waving in the Ice Witch's general direction. "I think I have a bit of a reason to be concerned."

"Alright, alright, I get it," Quinn said, holding up a hand in a placating gesture. She looked around before tapping on an eye symbol located near her feet. "I've done a lot of research of my own about this place and I've found what's most likely a massive conspiracy behind the Frostguard."

"And?"

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "And? What part of 'ancient conspiracy' isn't important to you?"

"I could name half a dozen ancient conspiracies if I really wanted to," she said. "Just get to the point."

"The symbol at my feet is the symbol of the race of the 'Watchers', a race of legend that once ruled over the Freljord centures ago. Not much documentation of their existence remains at all by now."

"Watchers?" Lux piped up.

Quinn just shrugged. "No one knows who they are." She nodded at the frozen figure before them. "Well… almost no one knows. Some surviving records from elsewhere in the Freljord say she was their 'Seeker', or the one who interfaced between humanity and the Watchers. But besides that, there's nothing."

"There is something else isn't there?" Talon spoke up, leaning off from the wall.

"Perhaps," she said with a sigh. When no one else said anything, she began to shift. "I have strong reason to believe that Princess Lissandra and the Ice Witch are the same person. Seeing her here now is strong evidence confirming my suspicions."

"And that's serious," Katarina observed.

She nodded vigorously. "Deadly."

The redhead pursed her lips and paced back and forth for several moments before spinning back to the brunette. "Fine, then. After tonight, you are heading back to Rakelstake. Ashe needs to hear about this."

**So, what'd you think? I always love to hear responses in the review section and I do try to reply to each and every one of you. Sadly, I can't do that for guests, so I recommend making an account! Anyways, I need to thank Shaw for this. See I was rushing and this chapter was quite the flop and he made it not-so-floppy. I wish I had more for everyone, but sadly, this is all for this update. Now as for the problems I was dealing with, I'll put it simply. I'm transgender (Male to Female) and am working to transition. Its stressful and not very fun. If you have any questions/hate/encouragement send me a PM here or on my personal tumblr, just-how-did-i-get-here-again, but don't fill the reviews with non-story related things.**


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